AllBoy Attraction
by LinChungIsHot
Summary: You come to Osaka Gakuen disguised as a boy. You're in love with your roommate, Izumi Sano. But the bad thing is, Minami Nanba is in love with you. So, whom do you pick: your tall, handsome, and silent roommate or your fiery, passionate, sexy childhood friend?
1. Insane

LCIH: This is taken off of my account on lunaescence (under the name **Ruby Spice**). If you see it any place else, it has been plagerized and thus, copied without my permission. Don't stoop so low and do that to my story, or anyone else's, for that matter.

LCIH: Anyways, this is a response to "100 Drabbles of Randomness" by Miseria1. I hope you enjoy the first chapter: _Insane. _And if you like it, maybe you'll stick around for more?

LCIH: Reviews are much appreciated, and ghost readers are cool, too! On a final note, I don't own anything. Enjoy~!

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"Wouldn't that be weird, though? Wouldn't it? Wouldn't it?" Shuichi Nakatsu was bouncing around the male students, asking the same question over and over. He had that weird expression over his face, the one he always wore whenever he was being a friendly pest—but it was enjoyable, not at all unpleasant.

Seeing as Izumi Sano had just joined them, he didn't know what the blonde was talking about. He sat down in his seat, setting his books on the desk. "What would be weird?" he asked wearily, letting out a heavy breath.

"Biology finals that bad, eh?" Kyogo Sekime inquired in greeting, though he was smiling; he'd already taken it, and knowing Sekime, he was bound to ace it.

"Nakatsu is talking nonsense, Izumi!" Senri Nakao, the pretty boy of the group, informed the boy.

Izumi snickered. "Isn't he always?" he commented.

Nakatsu overheard him, and he reached out to flick his friend on the side of the head. "Sometimes, maybe!" he corrected. "But not always!" Then the blonde shook his head and returned to his subject animatedly. "Anyway! Izumi, there's been talk going around, have you heard it?"

"If I heard it, wouldn't I have not asked the earlier question?" Instead of answering, Izumi stated another question.

Nakatsu pouted. "Stop asking questions to my questions, you're confusing me!" he wailed.

Sometimes Izumi really thought that his friend was seriously bipolar.

"Just tell him already," said Taiki Kayashima. "Oh, by the way, there's a ghost standing behind you, Noe."

"Where?! Where?!" shrieked Shinji Noe, jumping up on top of his seat. Kayashima laughed amusedly.

Nakatsu turned back to Izumi. "I'll just save you the suspense and tell you," he decided.

"Yes, please, that would be nice." Nakao rolled his eyes, examining his nails.

"So." Izumi rested his cheek against his palm, leaning into it. "What's up?"

"The rumor has it that there might be a girl coming to our school!" Nakatsu finally announced in a dramatic fashion.

The chatter from the lively group all fell silent, as if on a cue. Then Izumi said, "A girl? Here? At Osaka Gakuen?"

The boys surrounding him all cheered. Because Gakuen was an all-boys' school, the students jumped at whatever chance they got to be closer to a woman. They weren't all like Minami Nanba, the playboy and the ladies' man of the school. "Yes! Isn't it wonderful?" chorused Sekime and Noe in unison.

Nakatsu looked happy. "Maybe she'll be hot!" His eyes drifted off to dreamland and Izumi could practically see the fantasy that went on inside his friend's mind. Nakatsu's 'vision' was slightly altered than the rest.

Nakao, however, didn't look too thrilled about it. "She'd better not steal sempai!" he warned to no one in particular. "Otherwise, I'll rip her face off, pretty or not! Nobody can have my sempai! NOBODY!" He had that wild look in his eyes and none of the boys dared to say that Nanba would probably have his hands on her by the end of the week.

Izumi thought about it. Would there actually be a girl coming to Gakuen? Then he shook his head. "It doesn't make much of a difference to me," he said, and that statement was true. He rarely had the time for girls, anyway. He saw enough of them as fan girls to last him an entire lifetime. Most guys would love to have girls lust after him. Izumi just ran out of sight whenever they came near.

Sekime shot him a pitying look. "You have no imagination, my friend! You have nothing! I still don't get why you have so many fan girls."

"Boys, settle down, settle down," the teacher said as he walked into the classroom.

As the boys broke it up, getting back to their seats, Izumi leaned over towards Nakatsu and said, "There's no way a girl's coming here. It's insane. Why would a girl want to come here?"

"Because it's a girl's fantasy," Nakatsu replied all-knowingly. "Being in a class with all boys? She would love it. And it's not so bad for us guys, either."

"It's insane," Izumi repeated. The teacher scowled in his direction and he shut up, turning to face front. Nakatsu shrugged and did the same.


	2. Hypocrisy

Izumi pushed his tray towards the lady who worked the cash register. She glanced at him, waiting, not bothering to say anything because she knew that he already knew the price. He gave her the money and she grunted her gruff farewell. The lady never bothered to say anything more.

"Thank you," Izumi said, looking at the haggard woman and giving her his best smile. When she stayed stone-faced, the smile faded and Izumi picked up his tray, leaving the line as he headed into the cafeteria.

All the tables were full and as usual, there was a buzz of chatter rising from the tables. Everyone was sitting with his posse, and they talked animatedly, catching up on sports and news and girls. Izumi scanned the place for a second. He saw Nakatsu waving his hand side-to-side frantically, calling, "Over here, Izumi!"

He crossed over to where his own group sat, set his tray down and took a seat in between Nakatsu and Kayashima with an exhale. "How's everyone today?"

"Sempai and I are working together on the History timeline," Nakao sighed happily, a light pink blush settling on his cheeks. "It's a dream come true!"

"We're to choose partners to work with for that timeline," explained Noe, "and Nakao snatched up Nanba-sempai before anyone else could ask him."

Izumi chuckled. He lifted up his miso soup bowl and tilted it to his lips, swallowing a hearty mouthful. "Nanba refused?"

"Of course not! Why would he refuse me?" Nakao was outraged. He then took in a deep, calming breath of air and widened his eyes, batting his lashes in Izumi's direction. "How can anyone refuse me?"

"I can refuse you," Sekime commented. He was flipping through a magazine—which most likely filled with pictures of beautiful, busty women, Izumi knew—and eating at the same time, half-tuned in to the conversation. Then he pointed to a picture of a topless blonde. "But can you refuse her?"

Izumi rolled his eyes, used to this behavior. All the boys 'round the table were staring at the picture, on the verge of a nosebleed (except for Kayashima and himself).

"Isn't she sexy? Man, I wish I had a girl like her," said Sekime, staring at the picture.

The carefully blank-faced Kayashima reached across the table and closed the magazine, to the boy's dismay. "Keep it closed or we'll get detentions," he said.

Noe shrugged his shoulders. "Who cares about one detention?" he said, faking bravado. Everyone sitting at the table knew that he couldn't afford to get a detention; otherwise, his parents would hunt him down and kill him. "It's not like they matter anyway." But he made no move to reopen the magazine and Kayashima smiled, satisfied.

During this time, Nakatsu had been wolfing down food like a starved animal and he finished his third bowl of rice with a loud "ahh". Then the blonde grabbed his water bottle and drank it empty. "Izumi, you and I are going to work on the timeline together, all right?"

Izumi nodded. "Of course." For most things, he worked with Nakatsu. After all, they were pretty much in each other's schedules and they saw each other a lot.

"So, what became of that rumor you guys told me about last week?" he asked, finishing off his miso soup. Reaching for his dessert, he tore off half of the cookie and popped it into his mouth. Almost immediately, Izumi spit it back out. "Bleugh," he muttered. "It's too sweet." He hated sweet things.

"All cookies are sweet, Izumi," Noe said, shaking his head in disbelief. He took the untouched other half and bit into it.

Nakao had thrown away his lunch and he sat at the table, drumming his clean fingernails against the top. "So far, the girl hasn't shown up yet. Sempai knows nothing about a girl even coming here yet, I asked him, and he said no." He sounded strangely triumph.

Izumi flicked his blue-gray eyes to the soccer-playing blonde next to him. "Didn't I tell you it was insane?" he said. "There's no way a girl would come here."

"Hey, now, you never know," Sekime added, coming to Nakatsu's defense. "She might've been delayed. Or maybe she's coming tomorrow. There's also a chance that she's already here. If she was already here, then she would be disguised as a student."

All the boys turned to look at Nakao, who smiled back.

"Him?" Noe asked.

Kayashima shook his head. "No," he confirmed. "It's not Nakao. Girls' auras are different than boys'."

"You and the aura thing!" exclaimed Nakatsu, wiping the sticky rice from his clothes and chin. "How can you see auras? It's not possible! You must not be human!"

The bell rang, signaling that the lunch period was over and class would start in a few minutes. Sekime stood up, tucking his magazine under his arm and holding his lunch in his other. The other males at the table followed his example. The boy's eyes twinkled behind his fine glasses. "I'll make a bet here and now. If a girl does show up here, I'll be the first to capture her interest," he challenged, and then added as an afterthought, "Nanba doesn't count."

"As if," Izumi said under his breath, drinking the last of his soda.

"You're on to talk," the boy ridiculed. "You hypocrite, you wouldn't be able to get her."

Izumi shrugged. "I have no interest in girls. Come on, we have to get to class. Sensei will kill us if we are late." He inclined his head in the direction of the door, looking at Nakatsu so that they could leave.

But the fool-headed blonde was shaking hands eagerly with Sekime. "It's a bet!" he responded energetically. "She will be mine!" He practically sparkled underneath his Gakuen uniform.

Izumi let out a sigh. He grabbed Nakatsu's arm and started dragging him off towards class. "Let's go."

"Catch you later, hypocrite!" Sekime called behind him, the other boys waving or nodding in parting. Izumi rolled his eyes.


	3. Nothing Personal

LCIH: Yes, I promise, the reader will be appearing soon! (Like, the next chapter...!?) Enjoy~!

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"Whew! I'm exhausted!"

A cheerful Nakatsu pulled himself up on top of the brick wall and perched there. He dropped his bag next to him, digging inside of it. When he found what he was looking for, he pulled his hand out, uncapped the water bottle, and raised it to his lips for a greedy swallow.

Izumi leaned against the wall next to him, letting his own bag fall off of his broad shoulder and hit the ground. He ran a hand through his dark hair. "I don't know how you juggle two hours of soccer practice every day with piles of homework," he said.

Nakatsu smiled brightly. "The same way you cope with homework and high jumping!" he replied.

The corner's of Izumi's mouth rose.

"Kayashima helps me a lot, actually," continued the blonde. "I always doze off during Advanced Literature, and he takes decent notes. I just copy them and study them when I get home."

"Huh." Kayashima didn't talk much, but he was roommates with Nakatsu and the two boys, whether you knew it or not, were really close friends. Kayashima used to be silent until Nakatsu came around, in his friendly, idiotic glory, and slowly eased the boy out of his shell.

"It must be nice, having a roommate." Everyone in Dorm 2 had a roommate—everyone except Izumi, that is.

Nakatsu chuckled. "If it really bothers you, than you can come and sleep in our room. But we only have beds for each of us. You'll have to sleep on the floor," he offered.

"No, I think I'll pass. My own bed is a lot warmer than the floor."

The two boys chatted about familiar things—everything from school to sports to homework to food. Time trickled past, as it slowly went from afternoon to evening.

Of course, Nakatsu got hungry. He was always hungry around this time. He stretched his arms with a content sigh, and his stomach let out a growl that sounded thunderous, it almost startled Izumi. Embarrassed, Nakatsu laughed, his face red. "Sorry, Izumi," he said. "I'm starving. I guess I should be going to get something to eat. You want to come with?"

Izumi shook his head, rejecting the offer. "Sorry. It's nothing personal, Nakatsu, but I've got to study for the History test. And I've heard that there will be a Trigonometry pop quiz from Sekime."

His companion shrugged. "That sucks," he sympathized. "I would hate to be taking Trigonometry. Geometry is so much easier!" Nakatsu reached down to swing his bag over his shoulder when his gaze focused on something behind Izumi and he stopped for a moment, gazing at whatever it was. A smile came onto Nakatsu's lips. "Well, well," he said. "Looks like Nanba's working his magic once again."

Confused, Izumi turned around. Across the field, standing near the school's steps, was the charismatic Minami Nanba. He was dressed in his well-worn Gakuen outfit, and his hair was swept loosely over his ears and onto his shoulders. Nanba looked like the man Izumi knew he was—confident, charming, and everything in between.

A girl was approaching Nanba, a purse dangling in the crook of her arm, textbooks cradled to her chest. She was attractive, Izumi had to admit, with voluminous chestnut brown hair that cascaded down to her back and a slim, athletic figure. The sunlight caught the color of her hair, highlighting it to a lighter shade of brown and from where he stood, he could see that there was even some reddish streaks. The girl wore a plastic windbreaker over a white T-shirt and skinny jeans.

She walked towards Nanba on chunky wedge heels. "How does she walk in those?" Izumi murmured to himself, watching as a smile stretched across her face and she exchanged words with the upperclassmen. Nanba said something and then opened his arms, and she threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. He rested his chin on her head.

"She's cute," Nakatsu said. Izumi had almost forgotten about him, somehow. He turned around and saw that a faint blush had crept onto his friend's cheeks. "Of course Nanba would get her."

"They're together?" Not that Izumi cared, really, he was just curious. For some reason, he couldn't take his eyes off of the girl. She'd put her books down and talked excitedly, using her hands to animate her talk. Nanba's arms rested around her slim waist. Since he now had a side view of her, Izumi could see that her chest wasn't that big…it was small, almost flat. But it suited her frame, whoever she was.

"I don't know. What I do know is that Nakao will go berserk if he sees Nanba and her together."

The two boys watched the conversation from afar for a moment. Then the girl jerked back, staring at Nanba. He was surprised, and he tried to lean close to tell here something or kiss her, but she shoved him away impatiently, crossing her arms. Her whole demeanor had changed.

Nakatsu picked up his bag. "This is turning intimate," he said lightly. "I don't think we should see the rest." He turned to go, putting a friendly hand on Izumi's arm. "I'll see you later."

"I'll walk with you until we get near the dorms," Izumi said, leaning down to get his bag, but his eyes were still trained on the girl. She had turned away from Nanba.

_Looks like someone can resist you, Nanba_, he thought. Then, shaking his head, he went to follow Nakatsu.


	4. Don't Worry

It was Friday afternoon. Classes at Gakuen had ended for the day. Izumi and Sekime were walking to the dorms together, a rare thing because usually after school, Izumi had high jumping.

"How's your shoulder?" Sekime asked, nodding hello to a few classmates as they walked past.

At the mention of his shoulder, Izumi rolled it around experimentally. "It still aches," he said, hissing slightly under his breath. "But it's getting better. I can put more stress on it."

As he talked about his shoulder, Izumi remembered why he'd gotten it injured. He'd been talking with his captain as they walked through the roads towards a famous restaurant, and a car had skidded past them, narrowly missing the team captain. But Izumi had shoved him aside at the last second. The momentum of his shove had carried him forward into the asphalt and Izumi had dislocated his shoulder badly.

_That had been one of the worst times of my life,_ he thought. _I couldn't high jump and I was in so much pain. But on the other hand, I saved the captain. He'd been grateful since._

"That must've stunk badly," Sekime was saying as Izumi tuned out his thoughts. "Imagine what would happen if Nakatsu broke his leg. Then he wouldn't be able to play soccer, and he'd bitch about it. What's so great about soccer, anyway?"

"Maybe he just feels something that you and I don't," Izumi replied absently as they reached the dorms.

The two students said good-bye. Sekime told Izumi that he and Noe were going to a dance club nearby, and he offered him an invitation. Izumi refused. He used homework and the lack of sleep as his excuses. Then the two boys headed in the directions of their own rooms.

Izumi trudged to his dorm. He stopped in front of the door, unlocked it, and thrust it open. His room was fairly neat—the bed hadn't been made, the closet had clothes halfway in and halfway out, papers were strewn across the desk.

_Well. It's as clean as it'll ever get_. He made a mental note to tidy up his room sometime.

Izumi shut the door. He dropped his bag on the floor by the foot of the bed, and then grabbed the bottom of his uniform and pulled it over his head, undressing. "I need a shower," he mumbled. He liked taking showers. Often, he would go in and blast the water as hot as he could stand. The heat soothed his muscles. He made his way into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

For a full thirty minutes, Izumi stood naked in the shower, the water drumming onto his skin. One thing he liked about not having a roommate was that he had the shower all to himself. He could take the longest showers. Sometimes Izumi could go forty minutes under the water before the tips of his fingers started shriveling up like prunes.

As he scrubbed the soap bar over his body, Izumi hummed a tune he'd heard earlier in the day. It was a J-Pop tune, one that had played over the radio. It was really quite upbeat and flashy, and normally Izumi wouldn't be caught dead singing a song under his breath, but it was still stuck in his head and he couldn't get it out.

Finally, the water had pounded out all the tension in his back. Izumi sighed in relief. He shut off the water and reached for the fluffy white towel, drying off his wet hair first, following with his body. "Mother used to always say that drying your hair would prevent you from getting a cold overnight," he said to no one in particular.

That statement brought a pang in his chest. Izumi missed his mother. She had died in a car accident when he was in junior high, and even though his father had walked out of it alive, Takehiko Sano still blamed himself constantly for his wife's death.

As time went on and he grew even more depressed, he began to channel his anger towards Izumi and his younger brother, Shin, by forcing them to jump higher and higher. The two brothers had both been high jumping at the time. While Izumi's body had matured and he could handle the high jumps, Shin was still in middle school, and his body couldn't handle the extra push. Takehiko became enraged with both Izumi and Shin. The night finally came where Izumi could take it no more, and he ran away, to a friend's house, where he stayed until the week of graduation. Afterwards, Izumi had come here, to Osaka Gakuen.

_I haven't seen Father and Shin since,_ thought Izumi as he pulled on a pair of plaid boxers. _I wonder how they are…_

Then anger welled up inside of him. "Father can be such a heartless bastard," he muttered, reaching for the door knob angrily and opened the door. "He doesn't deserve to be called my father—"

He faltered mid-sentence, and then the rest of the words unspoken on his tongue as he stared at the boy in his room.

It was boy he'd never seen before. His back was to Izumi, but upon hearing Izumi's words, he'd turned around, a friendly smile on his face, which was unusually feminine and pretty. "Hi!" he said cheerfully. "You were in the shower, so I thought I'd settle myself." And that was what the boy had done. He'd been opening one suitcase out of the four he'd brought with him.

"Uh…" Izumi gave him a look. "What are you doing in my room?"

"This is your room? Great, then! I'm your roommate!" The boy laughed and danced forward to shake Izumi's hand. "My name is (Surname) (First Name)."

"Roommate?" echoed Izumi. He draped the wet towel on the back the chair by the desk and walked over to his closet, digging through it for a shirt. "I wasn't informed that I would get a new roommate."

"Really?" (Name) sat on the bed, his feet dangling above the ground. He swung them energetically. "I was told that this would be my room. This is Dormitory 2, right?" When Izumi nodded, (Name) grinned. "Yeah, then. This is my room."

Izumi finally found a shirt, a white button-up T-shirt, and he slipped into it. His fingers worked the buttons as he turned to face (Name). "Weird…" he murmured.

(Name) had a boyish hair style that covered his ears and spiked up on the top of his head. His hair was chestnut brown and when Izumi looked closer, he could see a few streaks of reddish-brown. He was small and slender, with no apparent muscles Izumi could see.

But (Name)'s face was strangely pretty. It was angular, with high cheekbones and smooth skin, unmarred by acne like so many of the boys here at Gakuen. He had full lips and big, (color) eyes, as big as saucers. They were sparkling with excitement and friendliness and almost immediately, Izumi thought of Nakatsu.

_The two would make great friends_, he thought.

"So you're another pretty boy, huh?" Izumi said, staring him down. "You look like a girl in boy's clothing."

(Name)'s smile froze for a second. Then he laughed, his cheeks reddening. "Yeah, I guess you could say that," he said. "My friends make fun of me for it. That, and the fact that I have a woman's name."

Just then, the door opened and Nanba stuck his head in. "Good! You two are talking!" he said, opening the door and letting himself in. He turned to Izumi. "I see you met (Name)."

"I just did, actually," said Izumi. He glanced at (Name) and was surprised to see his face now looked like a thundercloud.

If Nanba noticed too, he didn't let on. "He's going to be your new roommate, Izumi. You were the only one who didn't have a roommate in Dorm Two, so we put you in with him," he continued smoothly.

"Ah."

(Name) hadn't said a word. He glared at the wooden floorboards, his hands fisted in his lap. His bottom lip was caught in his teeth. Izumi found that strangely feminine.

He turned to Nanba and said, "(Name)'s in my grade, I assume?"

Nanba nodded. "He'll be starting class with you on Monday. I thought that you and Nakatsu, and the rest of you guys could give him a tour, let him know what's what and where's where here at Osaka Gakuen." It was as if Nanba had all this planned out before he came here. He was smiling and nodding slightly, like he could persuade Izumi to do his bidding if he kept nodding.

Izumi sighed. He knew there was no way to deny Nanba. Nanba never took no for an answer, and besides, (Name) had already started settling in. "All right," he said wearily, adding the tour to his mental list of To Do Things. "I'll make sure to do that."

"Faaaaaantastic." Nanba grinned. "Thanks, Izumi, you're a great help. I'll catch you later, all right?" Then he gazed at (Name) and added, "Take care, okay, (Name)?"

"You can count on it," (Name) replied hoarsely, not looking up from his death glare on the floor. Nanba's grin faded a little, but he winked at Izumi before closing the door.

_Wonder what's going on between those two_, Izumi thought. (Name) took a few seconds to make sure Nanba was gone. Then he looked up. A bright smile had been plastered back into place. "I'm glad he's gone," he said. "Nanba-sempai can be such a pest."

"Tell me about it," Izumi murmured. Then he sank into his chair, leaning his head back. "Okay. You can get the top bed, okay, (Name)? The bottom one's for me."

"Fine by me." (Name) scratched his knee. "I love top beds, anyway."

A pregnant silence passed between the two.

Then (Name) said, "I hope you take good care of me."

He'd looked up as he said it, his eyes trained on Izumi. For a second, Izumi didn't know how to respond. That sentence had sounded strangely feminine coming from (Name)'s lips. Actually, everything about him seemed feminine, Izumi realized.

Then he cleared his throat and said, "Don't worry. I-I'll take—ahem—great care of you."

(Name) laughed. Was it Izumi's imagination, or was that a blush lingering on his cheeks. Then it was gone, and (Name) had stood up suddenly. "I'm going to take a shower, if that's okay," he said.

Izumi nodded. "Sure, go ahead." (Name) grabbed a handful of clothes, strode over to the bathroom, and shut the door behind him. A moment later, Izumi heard the lock click.

Closing his eyes, Izumi let out a long exhale. It would be a long night, he thought, today and everyday for the rest of my life here at Osaka Gakuen. He climbed to his feet and turned to his overly messy desk. "Better get this cleaned up, then," he said. He could hear (Name) running the water inside the bathroom.

_(Name),_ he thought. _What a strange roommate._

_What a strange name for a guy._


	5. Enough For Now

Izumi had just taken (Name) around the campus of Gakuen. He'd shown him everything—from the athletics to the academics to the music rooms and clubs and café. It was now three-thirty in the afternoon, and the two were starving.

"Come to think of it," said (Name) as he put a hand on his stomach. "I haven't eaten lunch yet."

"Me neither," Izumi added, his stomach rumbling angrily.

They looked at each other. Then (Name) turned away, giggling, and Izumi tried not to smile, even though it worked its way across his face.

(Name) was wearing a navy sweater over a pair of jeans and Izumi thought that he looked so young and vulnerable in the simple outfit. When Izumi had taken him on the tour, they'd run into a few students here and there. Izumi made quick introductions. So far, everyone seemed to be fine with having a new student here, even if he was a pretty boy.

_Well,_ Izumi thought, _Nakao will be happy to have another one like him._

They were by the soccer fields, and (Name)'s big eyes wandered, looking here and there and everywhere in between. Then he said, "Check it out!" and ran over towards the near soccer field.

Izumi followed him. He couldn't just lose sight of (Name); knowing from experience, you'd lose your way around Gakuen easily when you were new. (Name) stopped just outside the field, watching something. "What's up?" Izumi asked.

The brunette pointed at the players out on the field. "That one!" he said excitedly. "The guy with the bleached-blonde hair! He's good!"

When he scanned the field for the player, Izumi chuckled softly. (Name) was talking about Nakatsu. The blonde was running up and down the field, dribbling the soccer ball expertly with his legs. He dodged all the defenders who threw themselves into his path, and with one strong kick, he sent the ball flying past the goalie.

"That's Nakatsu," Izumi informed. "He's in Dorm 2, a hallway down from our room."

"He's really good at soccer!"

"He ought to be. He got a scholarship into Gakuen for his soccer skill."

Nakatsu had gone over to the sidelines for a break. He looked over and spotted Izumi; a smile broke onto his face and he jogged over to them.

"Hey, Izumi," he greeted, clasping the male's shoulder. Then he noticed (Name). "Hi. You a new student here?"

"Yep." (Name) nodded, smiling. "I'm (Name). It's nice to meet you."

"My name's Shuichi Nakatsu, but you can just call me Nakatsu." He then hooked a thumb over his shoulder at the scrimmage taking place behind him. "So. What are you guys doing here? I'm in the middle of practice."

"You practice on weekends? That must stink."

"Well, not really. I'm used to it. Besides, I think it's fun! I love soccer!"

"I don't know much about it, but I'm a fan."

"That's great!"

They started talking about some professional match that had happened on TV a few days ago. Izumi, knowing close to nothing on the subject, stayed away from the conversation, taking the time to mentally review what homework he had to finish.

Then a voice called out, "Nakatsu, get your ass back over here!"

The said boy glanced over his shoulder. "Be right there, Captain!" he replied sheepishly. Then he turned back to Izumi and (Name). "Captain sure can be persistent when we're drilling. He always wants me to improve my footwork. It's crazy." He shrugged, and started to jog back towards his team, but not before saying, "I'll catch you around, Izumi. And nice meeting you, (Name)!"

(Name) waved at him. Then he looked up at Izumi. "So. Does lunch sound good?"

Izumi nodded, his stomach growling again. "It sounds perfect. I think that this tour was enough, anyhow. You got the basics of Gakuen, so you should be fine. I know a good restaurant down the street," he said.

The smaller brunette shoved a hand in his pocket and pulled out some loose Yen. "I think if we spilt the meal, it'll work," he said decisively. "All right, lead the way, Izumi!"


	6. Innuendo

"So. This is the one everyone's been telling me about, huh?"

Nakao had just sat down at the lunch table, having come late from his previous class because the instructor had wanted to have a quick word with him. He glared at the boy across from him, his eyes narrowed and every bit like daggers.

(Name) smiled pleasantly. But Nakao kept glaring at him, and slowly the smile faltered, and he became slightly confused, probably wondering why he was being given the death stare.

"I thought you guys would be great friends," Sekime managed to say around a mouthful of Nikuman. He was overlooking the tension between them.

Izumi had thought the same.

Nakao continued to glare at (Name) for a moment or two. Then he turned to the side, exhaling, and muttered, "You _are _cute. No fair."

"Ehehe." (Name) seemed a little embarrassed, and he rubbed the back of his neck.

Leaning across the table, Nakatsu went to grab a Nikuman from Sekime. He got away with the sneaky move. "Is Noe absent today? I didn't see him." He ripped off a chunk of the bun with his mouth, chewing gleefully.

"Yes." Kayashima nodded. He gave Nakatsu a scolding look. "I think he got sick."

The blonde glanced away, trying to ignore the looks shot in his direction. "Tough. You would've liked him, (Name)."

(Name) twirled chopsticks in his fingers, which happened to be long and clean with perfect fingernails. "You'll have to introduce me, then." He said a quick prayer under his breath before driving the chopsticks home into his meal of Korokke.

Izumi finished off his lunch and he set it aside. It had been a quick lunch, consisting of a Gyoza and an energy drink. He then sat back in his chair, watching (Name) eat from the corner of his eye. The boy ate funny. He chewed slowly and thoroughly, a thoughtful expression on his fine-boned face, as if he were trying to determine what components were in his food.

He'd been living with the smaller brunette for three days, so far. It wasn't bad. If they had time together in the room, then a conversation would emerge. It always ended with either him or (Name) going to use the shower. Apparently, the boy liked taking showers as much as Izumi did. It was funny.

"Hey. Izumi." Hearing his name being called, Izumi cleared his thoughts of his roommate and turned to face Sekime, who'd been trying to get his attention. "Yes?"

"Check her out. Isn't she just perfect?" Sekime held up another porno magazine, the one side folded back to display a nude American woman with huge breasts and a tiny waist.

The boys around the table stared at the picture. Izumi rolled his eyes. "Is looking at explicit magazines all you do during lunch?" he asked, turning his head away.

Sekime was indignant. "I never get time in my dorm," he said, trying to explain himself so that he didn't come across looking like a pervert. "And what better time do I have than to look at them during lunch!" Then he looked around the table at (Name). "Hey, are you interested in her, (Name)? At least tell me that you enjoy the picture."

(Name) was looking at his food, a blush spreading across his cheeks. "Um, no," he replied. "I'm not really into that kind of stuff."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I hope you'll forgive me," Sekime apologized, not sounding sorry and he kept flipping through the pages. This time, Nakatsu hovered over it, and the two newly bonded boys pointed out naughty pictures and got nosebleeds over them. Kayashima shook his head, standing up to throw away his lunch.

Nakao sniffed haughtily. "Why would I need to look at women's pictures?" he said. "I'm already beautiful enough. You too, (Name)." He flicked his eyes at the still-blushing brunette. "You don't need any nude pictures to prove you wrong."

"Okay…" Izumi could tell that (Name) wasn't sure whether to be relived or suspicious that Nakao had said that.

Just then, another boy joined them, coming up and standing behind (Name). His tall shadow fell across the table. "Mmm, I used to have a girlfriend like that," he said, his dark eyes glancing towards the magazine, which now displayed a woman laid across the top of a car's hood, dressed in revealing lingerie.

Upon laying his eyes on the newcomer, Nakao lit up. "Sempai!" he cried happily.

Nanba grinned. "Hello."

(Name) twisted around in his seat to look up at Nanba. Once again, Izumi saw a storm pass over (Name)'s features. He now looked angry. Izumi wondered how badly blood had been spilled between the two of them.

"That doesn't count, Nanba-sempai," Sekime said, referring to the upperclassman's remark about the woman. "You've probably laid your hands on half the girls on this planet."

"True that," he replied easily. "So. You guys been to Biology yet? I heard it's going to be hell there today. The new instructor is a hag." He said this all with a smiling, handsome face and Izumi could see why so many of the teachers thought he was such a perfect model student.

"Yes! It was horrible," agreed Nakatsu.

(Name) got up from his chair suddenly, standing so hard that the back of the chair scraped hard against the floor. It would've rammed into Nanba's legs, had he not reached out and steadied it. "Whoa! Easy there."

"I just remembered that I have to go see one of my teachers," said the boy. "He wanted to talk to be about something."

A sly smirk spread across Nanba's face. "Are you sure you're not trying to avoid me?" he asked cockily. Across the table, Nakao's eyes hardened, as if he could read some meaning behind that question.

(Name) set his lips into a thin, cold smile, but a blush flared up onto his cheeks. "No, of course not, Nanba-sempai," he said, sickly sweet. "I would never."

Izumi was watching them strangely. "I'll throw away your stuff," he volunteered.

(Name) nodded, somewhat grateful. "Thank you." Then he spun around and marched out from the cafeteria, leaving the other boys behind.

As you stomped through the hallway, you felt anger bubbling inside of yourself. How dare Nanba suggest that you were trying to avoid him! It was all Nanba's fault, anyway. The others probably thought that you were weird, now, thanks to your dramatic exit. You sighed. Nakao was going to be mad at you. It was your first day here at Gakuen, and you already knew that Nakao had a crush on that sly devil.

You slowed down to a walk. "I don't even have to see a teacher," you said to yourself. That had just been an excuse, to get away from Nanba's knowing smile and predator-like eyes. Well, there were only a few minutes left before the bell rang. You might as well blow them off.

You slowly walked down the hallway. "I'll just go down here and then turn back around, and by then, it should be time to go to next period," you decided. Yes, that was what you would do. _What a clever plan,_ you congratulated yourself, smiling.

As you walked past the last room in the hallway, a male teacher stepped out into your path. He was handsome, with blonde-reddish hair and shockingly hazel eyes behind sharp glasses. He wore a doctor's white coat over a black, long-sleeved shirt. He was the doctor here, you recalled.

"Hello," you said pleasantly.

The man nodded. "Hi. You're the new student, I presume? My name is Hokuto Umeda, but everyone knows me as Dr. Umeda." Then a wolf-like smile came onto his face. "It's nice to meet you, (Name)-_chan_."

Your smile froze. Your blood suddenly turned icy but you forced yourself to say, "Have a nice day, Dr. Umeda," and then walked past the doctor. But even as you walked further and further down the hallway, you could still feel Umeda's gaze boring holes through your back. His calling you (Name)-chan had sent shivers down your spine. It suggested an innuendo.

_But what did Umeda really know?_ you wondered.


	7. Tease

When you'd gotten back to the dorms that afternoon, after class had ended, you found that Izumi hadn't returned. It was just you, it seemed. You didn't know when he was going to come back, but this moment provided ample opportunity for you and you shut the door as you entered.

"Classes today were swell," you said to no one in particular, laying your books down onto the desk. Izumi had promised to clean it, and you knew he would keep his word. It was just taking him too long. Papers were still piled up everywhere, along with textbooks as fat at the American Dictionary. Well, you weren't going to clean it.

Then you pulled off the shirt you wore and tossed it onto the ground. It lay there, crumpled in a heap.

It was a boy's shirt, seeing as the only uniform at Osaka Gakuen was designed to fit on a male's body. You'd gotten a size bigger than your normal size, to make sure that it didn't show any of your developing curves.

Yes, curves. At the thought of that, you glanced down at your chest. You wore a tight vest around your torso, one that flattened your chest at a slightly painful level. It was there to hide your breasts. As much as you hated wearing no bra (you were so used to wearing a bra all the time, this new style was killing you), you'd have to live with it.

You sat down heavily on Izumi's bed, lowering your head into your hands. Being a girl at Gakuen was difficult. You had to watch your every step and tread gently through the water. One wrong move would cost you dearly. If your secret was out, then you'd be expelled, the boys would go wild, and you would be in a lot of danger.

"But it's all worth it," you reminded yourself, unfastening the vest. "I came here on my own choice."

It had been your decision to make the appearance change from a young woman to a teenage boy. You'd been the one to cut your voluminous hair to a boy's length. You'd gotten clothes from your male friends and brother back at home, in America. You'd found a few vests that showed no evidence of your blossoming breasts. It's a good thing that you had a small chest. That helped a lot.

The reason behind coming to Osaka Gakuen?

You had a crush on Izumi Sano.

It was a silly crush, really. Your brother had been competing in the high jump two years ago. He'd gone to Nationals, where he had faced other top competitors from around the world. One of them had been Izumi. He and your brother had made it to the finals, where they went against each other.

You had gone along with your brother, to offer moral support and see how well he did, in case he won. For a long time, you'd always thought that your brother was the best high jumper in the world. Nobody could best his technique in your eyes. But when you'd seen Izumi jump…it was breath-taking. It was beautiful. The way he'd jumped over the pole with absolute grace and style…

Izumi hadn't won the competition, due to a slip-up, but he'd done his work on you. You were absolutely mesmerized. When your brother and Izumi shook hands, you gazed at the Japanese male, wondering how in the world you would ever see him again. That was when you had started to put together your plan.

It had to have been a miracle when you were put into the same room as Izumi. Not only was he your crush, now he was your roommate! You could get close to him in better way than if you were a girl.

"Another reason I'm here," you muttered, sitting topless on the bed, "is to keep an eye on Minami."

You and the ladies' man were good friends. His father was a friend of your dad's, and you'd met him on a business trip, when the two of you were little toddlers. Ever since then, you would hang around with Nanba whenever your family took a trip to Japan or whenever your father had to come and work here.

When you were fifteen and Nanba was sixteen, you'd considered a relationship. The two of you decided to exercise that possibility. But it wasn't working out, it had been awkward and you called it off before it could damage your bond.

Nanba was always a good friend of yours'. You figured that he would love your plan. But when you'd met him two weeks ago to discuss your coming to Gakuen, he'd been clear that he was against it.

"Enough about Minami," you told yourself. You stood up and walked over to the closet. Two of your suitcases lay on the ground, untouched. You leaned down, unzipped one of them, and went through it, searching for a shirt and some pants. You pulled out a baggy red shirt with an American rap group on it and black shorts. These would have to do.

Standing in the center of the room, you pulled on the shirt. It felt great to be able to wear a shirt without that horrible vest. The vest was itchy and scratchy and it would be a while before you got used to it. Then you started to shimmy out of your uniform pants.

Behind you, the door opened and in stepped Izumi, finally back from wherever he had been, carrying his books in one hand and two cans of soda in another. "Sorry I'm late," he started to say, and then he saw that you were in the process of taking off your pants.

A blush flared up onto his cheeks, as did one onto yours'. "Sorry, I didn't know you were—I'll just wait outside!" he stammered, and then went out into the hall, closing the door quickly.

You stood there for a moment, your heart hammering. Wow. That must've been such a tease for Izumi… Then you laughed under your breath, sliding into the shorts. "That scared me," you murmured to yourself. You'd have to be more careful. What if you'd been taking off your vest—? That would've been horrible. You'd be found out, exposed. Exposed in more ways than one…

"I'm finished," you called, throwing your uniform into the laundry basket. Then you sat down in the chair. "You can come in now."

Izumi slowly opened the door, peeking in first before fully coming inside. He was still red-faced. A smile came onto your lips. The blush made him look absolutely adorable.

"Next time, maybe you should lock the door or something," he said, setting his books down next to yours' on the desk.

"Okay," you replied.

He then handed you a can of something. "Here. I stopped at a vending machine to get an energy drink, and this can popped out along with it. You can have it. I'm not a fan of peach juice."

Peach juice happened to be your favorite. You took the can and then smiled up at him. "I love peach juice! Thanks!"

Izumi stared at you for a second, and then the corners of his mouth rose into a smile. "You're welcome," he replied. The two of you sipped your drinks and lapsed into an easy conversation.


	8. Love Letters

Nakatsu pulled out his Advanced Lit. notebook and set it onto the desk. He tossed his book bag somewhere on the floor. He didn't really care where it was, as long as he could find it by morning. Then he sat down in the chair and flipped open the notebook.

Sitting on his bed, Kayashima was reading a book about spirits and such. He was really into that kind of stuff, Nakatsu knew, and it was sort of weird. But Kayashima was a good roommate and an even better friend, so he didn't really pay much attention to his friend's strange interests.

"Hey, do you have your notes?" asked Nakatsu. He turned to face the other boy, smiling sheepishly. "You know me. Advanced Lit. is so boring."

"You fell asleep again, huh?"

"Yeah…"

Kayashima lowered the book and shot Nakatsu an amused look. Then he shook his head. "Sorry. I gave my notes to Sekime."

"Why does Sekime have them?" The wannabe ladies' man was a genius. He was currently acing all his classes with the top percentage.

"He'd taken the notes, but the last two pages of his got ruined and he needed to copy them again."

"Oh." Nakatsu turned back to his notebook, and then to the fat literature book next to it. "Well, I'm screwed. Professor's going to kill me for not only sleeping in class, but also for completely messing up on the assignment."

"You can go ask (Name) for his notes," Kayashima offered. He thumbed through his book. "He takes really detailed notes. I think he's in his room right now."

Nakatsu stood up. "All right, I will. Thanks!" Then he left the room, leaving Kayashima to his queer book.

Nakatsu walked down the hall, and then made a right, walking down that hall. He stopped in front of Izumi's door. "(Name) and Izumi are roommates, right?" He struggled to remember, and then finally just blew it off and knocked on the door. "Hey, Izumi? Or (Name)?"

He could hear some scrambling from inside and then a click sounded, the lock being pulled back, and the door opened. (Name) stood there, still wearing his uniform. "Oh, hey, Nakatsu. What's up?"

"You're in Advanced Lit., right? Do you have the notes?"

(Name) nodded. "Yeah, I do. I just finished the homework. Do you need them?"

Nakatsu rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Is that okay if I copy them?"

The smaller brunette laughed. "I heard you doze off during class. Sure, Nakatsu." He opened the door wider, walking back inside to the desk. "Come on in."

"Okay." Nakatsu let himself in. He looked around. The room was a lot cleaner than he remembered. It was usually messy, for Izumi never had the time to clean it, going from high jumping to school to high jumping again. Nakatsu could sympathize.

"Izumi's not back yet?" he asked, sitting down on the said boy's bed.

(Name) shook his head. "He said he'd be back late tonight. He was going meeting a friend at a restaurant." He bent down, going through his book bag, and pulled out a perfect blue notebook, tossing it towards Nakatsu. "Here."

Nakatsu caught it. "Thanks. This helps so much. I owe you one, all right?"

(Name) smiled over his shoulder. "Sure!"

There was something behind the friendly smile, and Nakatsu stared at the boy. It was strangely feminine. Then he shook it off, along with the heat that had crept up his neck, and started to stand up to leave when he noticed an envelope sticking out from within the pages of the notebook. He pulled it out. "Hey, (Name), is this yours'…"

On the front of the light pink envelope, written in girly handwriting, was _To My Dearest (Surname) (Name)._

(Name) glanced at the envelope and a blush flared onto his cheeks. "Oh, that's just—" He was suddenly next to Nakatsu, and the soccer player was surprised at how fast (Name) had come there.

"You have a girlfriend, (Name)?" Nakatsu teased. He was secretly jealous—even he hadn't gotten a girl yet. It wasn't that he wasn't interested, no, Nakatsu would gaze at pretty girls on the street and try to charm them with his wit, looks, and soccer skills, but Nakatsu never really had time for them. Plus, he always got tongue-tied whenever a beautiful one came along.

"Well, she's not exactly my girlfriend," stammered the flustered brunette.

Nakatsu was already opening the envelope. He pulled out the carefully folded paper inside and opened it slowly. "I hope you don't mind that I'm reading this personal letter, but it's bound to be interesting. It's obviously a love letter," he said cheerfully.

(Name) reached out to grab the letter from him, but Nakatsu held it away from him, laughing, and then looked down to read it.

It was written from a girl named Amelia Colton, an obvious full-blood American. She'd written about events that had happened over the first few weeks of school, nothing intimate. But at the end, this Amelia girl started putting that she missed (Name) "_very dearly and I wish you'd come back, or come back at least so I can see you again_". She also wrote "_I love you and you know that; I'm planning something really special next time we meet_".

At the end, she signed her name in fancy cursive, her calligraphy scrawling and loopy and elegant.

Nakatsu glanced up at (Name), who was standing there, blushing furiously. "Wow, (Name)," he said, grinning. "Seems like this girl of yours' really likes you. She said she planned something special." He wriggled his eyebrows. "Now, what could that mean?"

The poor brunette was as red as a fire engine. "Amelia's not exactly my girlfriend," he started.

"But she obviously has a thing for you." Nakatsu gave the letter and envelope back to him and then stood up, the notebook under his arm. "That was a sweet love letter. Cherish it, (Name). I'm not an expert at love, but one day, your relationship might be in the pits and you'll have to show Amelia that you love her. Then you can whip out this letter and she'll be so surprised."

He grinned. "I'll catch you around, 'kay?" Nakatsu opened the door, stepped out from the room, and left, the silly grin staying on his face all the way back to his own dorm.


	9. Secret

It was gym period, and Izumi, along with the rest of his class, was outside. It was slightly windy, nothing a pair of long shorts couldn't handle, and the sun was shining, the sky was still a clear blue.

Personally, Izumi didn't really enjoy gym. He was an athlete; you'd think that this would be his favorite class. But, in fact, he didn't like it. It was annoying and they only did minor things, such as running and ball sports. Never did the instructors have their classes do his sport of expertise: high jump.

Despite his dislike, Izumi was good at gym, so he had nothing to worry about.

Today, the class was out on the soccer fields. It was a free-for-all, meaning that the males could do whatever they wanted. The instructors had taken out the soccer balls, footballs, Frisbees, a normal tennis ball for throwing-and-catching. Students were strewn all over the grass, in groups or in teams.

"Izumi! Why don't you come and play?" This came from Nakatsu, who was dribbling a black-and-white soccer ball between his feet out on the field, dodging his defenders with ease.

Izumi shook his head. Soccer? Not if he had anything to say about it. Soccer was one of his worst sports, actually. "No, thanks. I'm good."

"Really? You're just standing there." Nakatsu headed towards the goal. He stopped for a split second, aiming, then pulled his leg back and let it right into the ball, sending it spiraling over the goalie's head and into the net. He grinned and his teammates cheered, clapping him on the back or slapping his butt.

He was good, Izumi knew. He'd seen Nakatsu play at practice, scrimmages, and during games many times, and he knew the blonde's skills. They were talented. He could go into Nationals, that's how good he was. Nakatsu was the striker for a reason.

A smaller person came up on Izumi's side. "Mind if I join you?" said the male, smiling up at him.

It was ( Name). He had changed into the gray gym T-shirt and long, red shorts that went past his knees. Izumi nodded in greeting. "Sure. Do what you'd like, it doesn't bother me."

"Great." (Name) went down on one knee, bending to lace up his sneakers. They were American-styled, with the brand NIKE on one side, their famous check on the other. The laces were off-colored and didn't match each other. Then the boy stood back up. "Not interested in any of the games?"

"Yeah. They aren't much fun to me, anyway. I just like high jumping. And running." Izumi thought for a moment. "I also like baseball."

(Name) laughed. "I love baseball. I'm not a good pitcher, or a good batter, but I'm really good at shortstop." He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "I used to play it all the time back home, with my brother and his friends."

He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his shorts, looking around. "Soccer's not that bad. And Frisbee's sort of fun. But I really like baseball and tennis."

Izumi looked down at his roommate. The sun was directing its beams onto the crown of his head, making the reddish streaks stand out in sharp contrast to the chestnut coloring. Red hair suited (Name), he thought, flicking his eyes away when the boy turned back to him.

"So. You play a sport, right?" He was trying to make small talk with Izumi, instead of falling into the silence between them.

Izumi inwardly sighed. He didn't really like to talk about sports, actually, even though he was so good at his. It always led to the injury, which led to questions, and sympathy. He couldn't stand when people were sympathetic towards him. It made him feel vulnerable and useless. "Yeah."

He didn't bother to say anything else. (Name) looked at him. "Umm…what's the sport?" he asked.

"High jump."

"Oh, really?" The boy's voice rose, almost to the point where it was a squeak, but Izumi just gave him a look, and (Name) blushed. "You must be good, then. Do you still jump?"

"Yes." Izumi was perplexed. Being his roommate, (Name) already knew that he high jumped—that was why he sometimes arrived at the dorms later. Had he just suffered short-term memory loss or what? "Most of the time."

"Most of the time?" echoed (Name). "Not all of the time? What happened?"

"It was an injury." Izumi turned away from (Name), focusing on a circle of his classmates tossing a neon green Frisbee back and forth. He didn't want to see the pity form in (Name)'s eyes.

"What happened?"

"None of your business," he snapped. Then he instantly regretted it when a hurt look crossed over (Name)'s face.

"Oh…I'm sorry." The boy pulled back, the hurt drawing from his face. He hunched his shoulders against the slight wind, looking down at his shoes.

Izumi mentally smacked himself for being unkind. "No, I'm sorry; it's just a personal subject for me, all right?" He tried to smooth over the ruffles that had formed.

(Name) nodded. "I totally understand." But he still sounded wounded and he didn't meet Izumi's eyes.

Just then, Nakatsu bounded up to them, all cheerful and smiling. He had only just begun to sweat, unlike the others, many of whom were breathing hard and wiping sweat from pouring into their eyes. The only sign that Nakatsu was even the slightest bit tired was the beads of sweat on his upper lip and at the base of his neck. "Hey, (Name)," he said warmly. "You want to join our soccer game? We could use an extra player."

"Only if I get to be on your team," replied (Name), looking up and a smile started forming.

Nakatsu laughed. "I don't know. I'm totally kicking ass right now and the other team might need you…come on, then!" He held out his hand, and (Name) placed his in the other male's larger one, and they ran back onto the field.

Izumi leaned back, watching after them, feeling something in the pit of his stomach. He'd just made the brunette make a horrible face. He'd made (Name) feel hurt. And it had a bigger impact on him than he'd imagined.

"Damn," he muttered, digging his fingers into his palms. "I hope I never do that again." He didn't want to make (Name) show the same face ever again. His eyes had widened and his mouth had slightly opened, revealing the perfect teeth inside…but the pain was visible behind his eyes and it had just made Izumi feel guilty.

Then Izumi stopped his thoughts. What was it about (Name) that made him so overly cautious about whatever he said or did? Ever since he'd walking in on his roommate changing out of his pants, he'd been awkward and clumsy around him.

"What the hell?" he said to himself, under his breath so no one else heard. "He's a guy, I'm a guy. We're all guys. What's the big difference?"

He turned back to the game, watching (Name). The brunette had gotten hold of the soccer ball and broke away from the defenders, heading towards the opposite goal. He wasn't doing too bad a job of dribbling—the ball sort of slid between his feet, but it was working.

Izumi grinned slightly. He silently cheered (Name) on. It would be interesting to see what would happen if he scored. Izumi wanted to see what Nakatsu would do.

But speak of the Devil, and he shall appear.

Izumi watched as (Name) raised his head, looking to see that it was clear before aiming the ball, and Nakatsu got into his path. The blonde had his game face on. His expression had gone from open and friendly to deadly and competitive. He made a pass at (Name), meaning to brush him off to the side and take control of the ball, but instead of brushing into him, he barreled into (Name)'s chest with full force, knocking the poor boy to the ground.

(Name)'s arms pinwheeled as he tried to balance himself, and then he toppled backwards, landing flat on his back. The soccer game stopped and Nakatsu blinked, looking down at the boy, concern weaving its way onto his face. But before he could kneel down, Izumi was already at (Name)'s side.

"He's unconscious," Izumi said, examining the boy. He swept some of the chestnut hair aside. (Name)'s eyes were closed, his face turned to one side. "You knocked him out, Nakatsu."

"Sorry! I was totally into the game! I didn't stop and think that (Name) was such a smaller person than me!" cried the accused. He dropped to his knees, gently slapping one of (Name)'s cheeks. "Hey, (Name)! (Name)!"

But the boy didn't respond, and this only worsened Nakatsu's state of worry. "That's not good, is it?" He shook his head, answering his own obvious question. "All right, all right! I'll take him to Dr. Umeda's office!"

Izumi sighed. "No. I'll do it." He slid one arm underneath (Name)'s chest and the other under his legs, picking him up bridal-style. "I'll take him. I'm his roommate, and I've got nothing better to do—"

His words trailed off and he looked at the boy he was carrying, his eyes wide.

_What the—?_ he thought.

But Nakatsu and the other soccer players were staring at him. One of them said, "Sano? You a'lright?"

Izumi shook his head, making sure his face was passive. "Yeah. I'm fine. Tell Coach I'm taking (Name) to Umeda's." Then he turned around and started across the grass, thoughts furiously running through his head.

_Did I just—?_

"Tell (Name) I'm sorry!" Nakatsu called behind him, obviously still guilt-stricken.

Izumi replied, "Sure."

You slowly regained consciousness. You peered out from half-lidded eyes, trying to see where you were. It looked like a doctor's office, more like the school nurse's. That would mean that you were in Umeda's office, as he was the school doctor. Oh, great. After he'd greeted you with "-chan", you'd steered clear of him, unsure of how much he really knew.

Then you were aware of a stinging pain in your chest. Ugh. What had happened?

Oh, right. You'd been playing soccer with Nakatsu and the others at gym, and Nakatsu had barreled into you to keep you from scoring. The guy was more powerful than he looked.

You exhaled and then sat up, wincing as your breath caught in your throat from the pain. There was nothing you wanted more than to get out of the vest underneath your gray T-shirt. But you couldn't do that; you looked around and saw Izumi leaning against the window, looking at you.

Umeda walked over to you, an ice-pack in one hand. "Good morning, (Name)," he said. "It's nice to see that you're awake. But should you really be sitting up?"

"It's painful," you admitted through clenched teeth, grateful when he pressed the ice pack into your hand. You laid it against the chest of your gray T-shirt.

Then Umeda narrowed his mesmerizing eyes at you. He leaned closer and murmured, _"So, what's a girl doing at Osaka Gakuen?"_


	10. Never Look Back

The one thing you'd hoped no one would find out. You thought you'd done such a good job of hiding your femininity from the males surrounding you, and only on his second encounter, Umeda had found out that you were a woman?

You stared at the doctor leaning a few inches from you. He had a smug look on his face. Fear rippled through your body.

"Wh-what?" you choked out, keeping your voice low so that Izumi wouldn't overhear. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play games with me, (Name)-chan," he said, again using the female suffix. Then he straightened up.

Your roommate, who'd been gazing out of the window, turned to Umeda. "Is he okay?"

The doctor nodded. He looked completely innocent as he answered, "Yes. There's no concussion or damage or anything. He should be okay." Then he glanced at you over his shoulder, giving you a shark-toothed smile. "But I'd like to talk to him for a while. You can go back, Sano."

"All right." He pushed himself upright and then nodded in parting before walking towards the door, pulling it open, and exiting.

You waited a few seconds. When you were sure that Izumi wasn't there against the door, eavesdropping, then you fixated your eyes onto the handsome doctor and said, "How did you know?"

"It was obvious," he replied, with a dismissive flick of his hand. Umeda then went over to his desk chair and pulled it over, positioning it so it was across from you. Then he sat down. Spreading his legs out comfortably in front of him, he relaxed back into the chair and said, "Why are you here, (Name)-chan? Gakuen is an all-boys' school, you know."

"I know," you replied. "I'm not dense or anything. I'm in my right mind."

"Then why in your right mind would you come and attend school here?"

You thought about the reason and almost immediately, a blush flared up onto your cheeks. You looked down at your lap.

Umeda smiled knowingly, as if he knew the reason behind your coming here. "Ah," he said. "It's a girl thing, isn't it?"

"Well, sort of…"

"Let me guess…" He tapped his forefinger against his chin, contemplating. Then he met your eyes and said, "You have a crush. On Sano."

You got defensive and you threw up your hands in front of you, your face turning as red as a tomato. "No!" you cried. "I do not!"

But Umeda was laughing. "I knew it," he said. He sounded gleeful, strangely so for a school doctor. "You do have a crush on him, don't you, (Name)-chan?"

"No, I don't," you insisted, knowing very well that he knew. "And please stop calling me (Name)-chan."

"All right, all right, we'll compromise. You tell me why you came here, and I'll stop calling you (Name)-chan." He leaned his cheek into his fist comfortably, propping his elbow up on the armrest.

You knew you were cornered. There was no way to escape. So you sighed, scooting back so that you were sitting against the wall. "Okay."

So you let your story pour out, about how you'd seen Izumi first when he'd gone against your brother at the high jumping Nationals. You told him about how you'd developed a crush on the handsome male. How you'd decided to hide your identity as a girl and come as a boy.

Umeda listened quietly. When you were finished, he slipped a hand into the pocket of his white doctor's coat and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He took one and held it between his slim fingers, producing a lighter from someplace else. "You don't mind if I smoke, do you?" he asked. "I'm still going to smoke, whether you're comfortable with it or not."

He wrapped his lips around the end and sucked. Then he took the cigarette away from his mouth and finally turned back to you. "So I was correct. You are here because of a crush."

You nodded.

The doctor chuckled. He let the smoke out with one breath. "Sometimes, females can be so stupid."

"Hey." You narrowed your eyes at him. "I'm not sure if I like you so much, _Sensei._ Remember that I am a female."

"I know." The older male took another long, slow drag of his cigarette, letting long tendrils of smoke curl out lazily from the butt. "But that's what I find so vulnerable about the female species. You know, (Name), you're putting yourself in a lot of danger, posing as a boy here. If your fellow peers found out there was a girl living amongst themselves, they would go crazy."

"Crazy?" you echoed, imagining Izumi suddenly a ladies' man.

Umeda nodded. "Yes. All of them…well, except for Minami. That bastard can't possibly go any crazier than he possibly is." He smiled fondly.

"Tell me about it." You swung your feet around the cot and set them firmly on the ground, pulling yourself to your feet. Almost immediately, a wave of dizziness swept through you and you doubled over, gasping for breath.

"Your chest still hurts, huh?" Umeda thought for a moment. "It must be because you're concealing your breasts. That's putting extra strain on your body. You do have breasts, right?"

That was an uncomfortable topic, but you managed, "Yes."

"Then it will take a little longer to get your breath back. For now, you should just take it easy." Umeda twirled his cigarette in his fingers, examining you. "You know, (Name), you really do pass for a boy. I think you can stay undercover for a while."

"I used to be real feminine before this," you said.

"Minami told me about you. He warned me that a female would be coming in disguise." When you gave him a questioning look, he explained, "He's my nephew."

"Another reason to pound Minami," you said, reminding yourself to remember that.

You finally caught your breath and straightened up, pressing the cooling ice pack to your chest. "I'll be fine soon," you said. "Thanks, _Sensei_. I'll be returning to class, then. The guys must be worried about me."

"I'm sure they are." He went to his desk, reaching for a notepad and pen to scribble down a pass for you. As he wrote, he glanced up at you. "(Name), I'm warning you to be extra careful. You should be lucky Izumi didn't strip you or anything. Be extra cautious, all right?"

"Sure. Why are you suddenly so concerned?"

Another smile came to his lips, curving the tops of them upward. "I don't know. It might just be because Minami cares about you. It might be because I don't want you to get hurt. But mostly it's because I don't want to have to take responsibility when you do get discovered."

He finished the pass and ripped it out, walking over to hand it to you. You took it from him, thanking him, and turned to go, but you still had one more question.

"_Sensei,_ you'd been calling me (Name)-chan since you saw me. How did you know I was a girl?"

"That's easy," he said, matter-of-fact. "I'm gay."

You stared at him. "Excuse me?"

He shrugged, not at all ashamed by what he had said. "I'm not into women. I'm gay. Homosexual. Interested in men. I could easily tell that you weren't a male."

You started to laugh. "Really? Well, I hope you're not interested in Izumi! I had my eye on him first."

"He is quite handsome," agreed the reddish-blonde.

You smiled and waved. "Bye, _Sensei. _ Have a good day." It was too late to go back now. Umeda already knew you were a female. You couldn't turn back; you couldn't hide your identity from him. Hopefully the doctor would provide to be a friend.

As you exited, Umeda looked up and said, "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to drop in here. Just make sure you don't bother me, okay?"

You beamed at him. "I'll remember that!" Then you gave him a big smile and left him to smoke his cigarette, sitting back in his seat, watching you leave.


	11. Not Sorry

Izumi was sitting at his desk. He had his Biology notes spread out in front of him, his notebook flipped open the recent entry of notes. When he'd taken a seat, Izumi had hoped to be able to concentrate enough on his homework. He had a report to do, one that was due in two days and he hadn't even started.

But as he sat there, leaning his forehead against his hand, a pencil spinning in his other fingers, Izumi found that he couldn't think.

"Forget this," he mumbled, tossing the pencil away. It cluttered onto the desk somewhere. He surged to his feet, looking around the dorm for something, anything that would take his mind off of (Name).

After Nakatsu had barreled into the poor kid and Izumi had taken him to Umeda's, (Name) had returned with a cheeky smile on his lips. His eyes had been sparkling. The brunette seemed completely fine for one who'd been unconscious only half an hour before.

When Nakatsu had caught sight of (Name), he'd run over and tackled him, nearly knocking him to the ground once again. "I'm so sorry!" he had wailed. "I didn't mean to! Please forgive me, (Name)!"

"Sure," came the laughing response. "Don't worry. I forgive you."

Tears had come to Nakatsu's eyes, and he only clutched (Name) tighter. "Oh, you're so sweet! I could just eat you!" Izumi had to admit that this public display of affection was a little too homosexual for his tastes.

Then Izumi's train of thought took another direction. (Name) was such a petite, slender male. Sometimes, it was like he was a girl. And when Izumi had picked him up—

"He's just a small boy, that's all," Izumi reassured himself, running his fingers through his hair. He pressed onto his scalp with his fingertips, massaging it gently. "Don't get any ideas."

Oh, but Izumi _had_ gotten an idea. A wild, delicious fantasy only a homosexual man would have had. For when (Name) had been out cold, he had looked so peaceful. His eyes had been closed and his lashes had curled gently on his smooth cheek. And his lips…they were so soft and full…

A flush crept up his neck and blossomed onto his face. Completely red now, Izumi smacked himself for such a thought. "It's time for a shower," he said. "I need to relax." He went to pull his shirt up and off just as the door opened and (Name) entered the dorm.

"Good evening," he sang, closing the door and slinging his book bag off of his shoulder and onto the top of Izumi's bed. Then he perched right next to it. "Sorry I'm so late. I was doing my homework with Nakatsu and Kayashima. They were helping me with History."

"It's fine," Izumi replied, peeling his shirt off. He draped it on the back of the chair and then stood in the middle of the room, bare-chested.

It would be rude to go and take a shower right when he just came home, he told himself. You can wait five minutes.

(Name) was looking at him oddly, his lower lip caught in his teeth. He had his hands fisted in his lap. It created an awkward mood, and for a second, Izumi was an idiot and he said, "I'm sorry. Do I need to put on a shirt?" Then he smacked himself. Like _that _was why (Name) was acting weird. No, it was probably because Nakatsu had been reading a porn magazine or something while they'd been studying and (Name) had just remembered the picture.

The brunette let out a terse laugh. "Oh, no," he said, shaking his head. "You don't need to. Were you going to take a shower?"

"I was, but that can wait." Izumi looked down at his roommate. "So. Are you feeling better? Nakatsu left you bruised, or what?"

"Yeah. My chest is really sore right now. He's stronger than he looks." (Name) rubbed a hand against the front of his shirt, wincing. "Sometimes I get the sense that it's hard to breathe, but that's only when I'm having a mouthful of something."

"That's not good. If it's real serious, tell me, okay? You might need to see Dr. Umeda again." Izumi was kicking himself. He hated not having anything to talk about.

"Mmm." (Name) was staring blankly at the floor. A pregnant silence settled over the two. Izumi, not sure of what to say, reached up and rubbed his neck.

"Um…" He looked back at the brunette to see him gazing upward, his eyes wide. "Do you want me to massage your neck for you? I used to give my friends massages all the time, and I've been told that I'm good." Then he blushed furiously and said, "But if you don't want to, that would be perfectly okay…"

It was a strange request, but Izumi said, "Sure." He sat down next to (Name), who put his hands at where his neck and shoulders met and started to squeeze them, kneading with his fingers. At once the tension faded. "Wow," he murmured, closing his eyes. It was like having a professional do it, or his athletic trainer. "You _are _good."

"Ehehe, really?" (Name) was pleased, Izumi could tell. "Thanks. I haven't done one in a while."

The pregnant silence that had once been there turned more comfortable. Izumi eased back, relaxing as (Name)'s hands worked their way down, settling on his shoulders. "Why don't you tell me about your family? Do they live here in Japan?"

"Well, we don't live here in Japan. I come from America, right by the coast. I've got an older brother who's off in his third year of college. I lived with my mom and dad before coming here."

"Your brother at a good college?"

(Name) nodded. "Yes, he's in one of the Ivy League schools. Those are the top colleges in America. Jun's doing well, so I don't worry about him too much."

Izumi was a bit surprised to hear that his brother had a Japanese name. He'd figured that because they lived in America, the brother would at least have had an American name. "Are you close to him?"

"Closer than most people in my position. He's four years older than me, but we used to do everything together before he left for college." (Name) used his thumbs to apply more pressure to Izumi's shoulders, and Izumi closed his eyes, feeling a warm sensation spread throughout his muscles. "Is that okay?"

"You're amazing at this," he replied, allowing his head to loll back. It came to rest against the front of (Name)'s shirt.

The brunette's fingers abruptly stopping working. Then he stammered, "Don't you have to go take a shower? Dinner will be soon, and you won't have time later."

"That's true." As much as Izumi enjoyed the massage, he did need to take a shower. (Name) was right; he wouldn't get time later on. Besides, the brunette had suddenly stopped, for whatever reason. Had it been because Izumi had lain back against him? If it were that, he wasn't sorry. He pulled himself to his feet. "I'll go take a shower, then."

He started across the room, but paused as he put his hand on the doorknob. Then Izumi glanced over his shoulder at (Name) and, with a hint of a smile, said, "I don't know what's going on between you and Nanba, but you might want to make up with him. You'll be seeing a lot of him from now on."

(Name) stared at him, his eyes widening. Then he turned bright red. Laughter spilled from his lips. "Yeah, you're right," he replied. "I'm being childish. I'll get over him."

_You'll get over him, huh?_ Izumi was intrigued by how (Name) had phrased that. He flashed his roommate another smile, this one broader than the last, and replied, "You do that." Then he disappeared into the bathroom, pulling the door shut behind him.


	12. Demons

You couldn't believe you were about to do this. It was crazy. You were such a fool. But it had to be done. You had to make up with Nanba once and for all. Izumi had even noticed that the relationship between you two was more than icy.

You shook your head. "Minami is going to laugh at me for this," you murmured to yourself. Then you raised a hand and knocked on the door gently.

A few seconds later, the door opened and Nanba's handsome face poked out. "Ah! (Name)," he said, as if he were expecting you. "What did I do to deserve this unexpected visit?"

"Can I talk to you?" You gave him a look, one that told him to put aside the joking.

"Of course." He opened the door wider, allowing you to come inside.

You stepped in, and Nanba closed the door behind you, sensing that the topic of conversation would be private since you couldn't talk to him out in the hallway. His dorm was surprisingly neat. There was only one bed, as Nanba didn't have a roommate. But his room was still homey and familiar.

You took a seat on the edge of his bed, while he leaned against his desk, his legs crossed at the ankle. "Well?" he said. "What's up, (Name)? Why'd you come to see me?"

For a moment, you looked down at your hands. Then you said, "I'm sorry."

Nanba smiled. He was calm, and nothing could faze him. But he did have the courtesy of widening his eyes slightly. "Excuse me? Can you repeat what you just said? I didn't hear you."

Despite feeling embarrassed, you smiled back. "I know you heard me, Minami. But I'll repeat it. I said, I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

You thought back to when you'd arranged to see Nanba here, in Japan, a few weeks earlier. You'd been sure that he would agree with your plan, that he would allow you to do whatever you had wanted. However, it had gone the opposite way—he'd opposed and you'd gotten angry with him. But now you realized why he had opposed. "You know. For getting mad at you because you didn't want me to come to Osaka Gakuen."

The smile vanished and he became solemn. "(Name), don't get me wrong. You are a very dear friend of mine, but there are so many things that can go wrong now that you are here at Gakuen."

"I know, I know," you grumbled, keeping your eyes focused on your hands. There was still a little nail polish on the edge of your thumb nail. You reminded yourself to take it off once you got a moment to yourself.

"I'm serious," he said. "If the guys find you're a girl, there's no telling what they'll do."

"I know, it's just..." A sigh escaped your lips and you fell back onto the bed. "I figured that because we're all close and all, you'd love to have me at your school."

Nanba walked over to where you were, sitting beside you. "I am happy," he said, gazing deep into your eyes. His gaze was intense. "I'm beyond happy having one of my best girlfriends here. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

He used the term "girlfriend" loosely, all casual like, but still you cringed, sitting up. "That's another thing, Minami," you started. "The romance between us would've never lasted."

At this, Nanba's lips curved into a pleasant grin. "You have to admit, though, it was fun while it lasted." The notorious playboy then shook his head upon seeing you roll your eyes. "Ah, (Name), don't be like that. You know what I mean. And you're right. The thing we had going on, there's no way it would work. I'd felt stiff around you during that time." Then a wicked gleam flashed in his eyes and he added, "I've dated plenty girls in my life, but not one of them was as awkward as you had been!"

"And whose fault was it that made me feel awkward?" you retorted, smacking him lightly on the forearm. You were laughing, though. It felt better to have the tension relieved between the two of you.

You loosened the tie around your neck, smiling. "It's just like old days, huh, Minami?" Then you said, "But I'm really glad to have cleared the issue up with you. So I'm sorry, all right?"

"I forgive you. But you might have to convince me that you're not completely mad at me." Nanba reached out and took one of your hands, wrapping his own large ones around it. "You know, (Name), as much as I disapprove of you being at Gakuen…I'm glad you are here."

"I'm glad, too." You undid the tie and pulled it out from the folds of your uniform top, letting it hang out. "How do you men stand ties? They're so uncomfortable."

He chuckled. "You'll get used to them." His thumb was absently tracing circles onto your palm, one of the habits he had whenever he held your hand. His nail was rather long.

"Minami, stop, that tickles," you giggled, trying to pull your hand away. But he wouldn't let you. So you glanced up to look at him. "Minami…?"

He was gazing at you, his dark eyes deep and alluring. Your breath caught in your throat. "(Name)," he said softly, saying your name almost like a groan, almost pleading. It made your stomach flutter. "If there wasn't a man already set in your heart, would you have chosen me?"

"Minami…I…"

Then he leaned forward, his hands moving to cup the back of your head, and kissed you. His kiss was just like you'd remembered it, gentle and sweet. Slowly, the kiss turned deep and hungry, and you couldn't tear away from him.

You were surprised. Why was he kissing you? Was Nanba just being the stupid playboy he was? Or was there meaning hidden behind it? You didn't want to kiss him. It felt weird, kissing one of your best friends. You'd only kissed him like this one before. But Nanba was an experienced kisser, his tongue already in your mouth, tracing the inside of your moist cavern, and you closed your eyes, fully feeling the pleasure he was giving you.

He gently broke the kiss, only for a second, to whisper, "If Izumi Sano wasn't your man, would I be?" He gently bit your bottom lip.

"If he didn't have your heart, could I take you?" He leaned you back, until you were lying on the bed and he was on top of you, kissing you.

"Could I take you away and make you mine?" He left your lips to nibble on your sensitive earlobe.

You moaned, but he swallowed it with a kiss. God, he was _good_. You suddenly wanted him. You wanted him badly, and the thought made you flush, because he was your good friend and to think that was horrible. But the thoughts that ran through your head—what he could do—made you yearn for him.

"Minami," you breathed, as one of his hands stayed in your hair while the other drifted downwards, to your shirt. "Minami, we shouldn't be doing this…"

"It's okay," he murmured in reply, his fingers working the buttons. "It's all right."

He then moved his mouth to the part where your neck and shoulder met, exposed now as he worked on your shirt and sucked your skin, leaving you shuddering with delight.

Had Nanba always been this good? He was like a god. You wanted more. You moved your hands, resting them on his broad shoulders, and you arched up with a squeal when his hand brushed against your vest.

"Is this how you keep your breasts hidden? That's clever, (Name)," he said.

"_Don't_, Minami—"

Your little make out session came to an abrupt halt when someone knocked on the door. "Yo, Nanba? You in there?" called the male outside.

Your heart froze and Nanba was motionless for a moment. Then he started buttoning your shirt hurriedly. "Yeah, give me a sec," he replied. Then he muttered, "Damn it, Megumi, you have such horrible timing. And why are these buttons so hard?"

They hadn't been hard to unhook, seeing as Nanba had done so with only one hand. But he was visibly rattled, so you pushed his hand away and said, "I'll do it. Go and see what he needs."

You quickly fixed your shirt and grabbed your tie, throwing it around your neck just as Nanba opened the door. "What's up, Megumi?" He had a carefree smile on his face, as if he hadn't been doing anything.

You could see Megumi Tennoji standing there, the leader of Dorm 1. He was very smart and very kind, and you liked him. He was a good friend. "We're having a Sakura Committee meeting, remember? Have you forgotten already?"

"Oh, yeah, I totally forgot." Nanba lightly smacked himself on the head, displaying how scatter-brained he'd been. Then he hooked a thumb over his shoulder at you. "I was teaching (Name) there how to properly tie a tie. What man doesn't know how to make a tie?"

Tennoji smiled at you. "Don't worry, I had the same trouble," he said, laughing.

You knew you looked like a mess, with your hair all disheveled and your shirt wrinkled. But then you remembered that boys didn't care about that kind of stuff. So you were fine. "Yeah. It's hard." You forced laughter to come from your throat.

Nanba turned back to Tennoji. "I'll be there in five minutes, all right?" The other dorm head nodded and Nanba closed the door.

He stood there for a moment. Then he spun around to face you.

You crossed your arms over your chest. "Minami, you little devil." You glared at him, waiting for him to explain himself.

But the cool-headed boy shrugged. He ran his hands through his long hair, trying to fix it to its artfully messy state. "Sorry, (Name). I got a little out of hand there."

"You think?" Your heart was still pounding, both from his kiss and Tennoji's scare. "We were almost caught!"

"I'll have to be more careful next time," he muttered to himself, licking his finger and then rubbing a spot on his chin.

"Next time? There won't be a next time," you retorted, still peeved.

He walked over to you. "(Name), you should head on back over to your dorm. Sano's probably worried."

That was true. Before you had left, you'd informed him of your destination and told him not to wait up, that he could go to the café for some dinner without you. But Izumi refused, saying he would wait an hour for your return before getting some food. Now would be the time to go back. You stood up, looping the tie back into your shirt. You weren't worried that it looked sloppy and messy. Izumi was waiting. In your mind, that was way more important.

As you passed Nanba, he stopped you, stepping into your path. "No, I won't have you leaving my room with your tie like that," he said, and he took hold of it, fixing it.

Having his fingers gently brush your neck every once in a while gave you chills, the kind you'd had with him before. You watched him as he worked; he didn't look at you. When he was done, he gave you that secret smile. "All right, you can go."

He followed you to the door, and then opened it for you, holding it as you stepped back into the corridor. He shut the lights off and closed the door, locking it so no one could get inside. Then Nanba pulled his windbreaker on over his school clothes. You stood there, glancing at him.

Then you couldn't hold it in anymore and you said, "What do you mean, Minami? What do you mean by if Izumi wasn't here, you'd make me yours'?"

You asked him softly, so that no one who happened to be passing by could hear you. They'd surely think that the two of you were homosexuals and that would be horrible. But Nanba just reached out and ruffled your hair. "Don't worry. I meant it lightly." But his voice was slightly pained, as was his expression.

You placed a hand on his arm. "Minami…"

He shook it off gently. "I've gotta go, (Name). Give my regards to Sano!" Then he raised a hand in parting and quickly made his way down the corridor, turning out of sight.

You stood there for a moment, alone, letting the demons roam wildly in your body. Then you slouched against the door, eyes closed. Nanba could be so complex sometimes. You just hoped this kiss wouldn't ruin anything later.


	13. Back Around

"Ah, Izumi, join us," said Nakatsu warmly, welcoming the boy to the table with outstretched hands. He was in the process of eating his sticky rice, and little rice grains were stuck all over his chin. It was hard to take Nakatsu seriously when he looked like that.

"Do I really need your invitation?" But Izumi sat down anyway, taking his regular seat next to the blonde.

"They had Nikuman today? Lucky!" Nakatsu reached forward and grabbed a bun. "These are so good!"

"You'd think he'd be full because he finished his third bowl of sticky rice, but no." Kayashima greeted Izumi with a half smile.

For once, Sekime wasn't looking at a porno magazine. Instead, he had his Trigonometry books out and while he chewed on his food, he worked his pencil furiously over a sheet of complicated-looking problems. He glanced up long enough to say around a mouthful, "Hey, Izumi," before ducking back down to his worksheet.

Noe was here today, and he was reading a paperback book, its title printed in English. From what Izumi knew, Noe had a lot of make-up work. He'd been sick in his dorm, and therefore, confined to his bed by his roommate. He'd finished his lunch, so now he read, his eyes dashing over the page.

Izumi produced some chopsticks and took them out. He closed his eyes in a quick prayer and was about to stab the chopsticks into his meal when Nakao cried, "Good Lord!"

Sometimes, Izumi wondered why his friends were so weird. He opened an eye. "What is it?" he asked. Knowing Nakao, it was probably some crisis like he'd gotten the wrong utensil or something.

The boy pointed over at the doors in a not-so-subtle way. "Look! It's Nanba-sempai and (Name)!"

Now that he realized it, Izumi's cheerful roommate wasn't at the table. He looked over at the direction Nakao pointed. Nanba had arrived in the café, carrying his books on his hip with one hand and his other was placed on the small of (Name)'s back. The smaller brunette had said something, and the pair laughed, before Nanba moved closer to comment. The conversation looked intimate. If Izumi hadn't known better, he would've said the two could pass for boyfriend and girlfriend.

(Name) left Nanba and hurried over to join his table. "Hey, guys!" he said, breathless. His cheeks were flushed red. "I'm sorry I'm late. I had to talk to Minami about something."

Nakao was staring at him, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "You call him Minami, huh?" he said.

"Why? Is there something wrong with that?" (Name), seeing that nothing was wrong by calling the upperclassman by his first name, pulled out a bottle of peace juice from his paper lunch and popped open the tab. He raised it to his lips and took a hearty swig.

"Hmm," snorted the pretty boy, leaning back in his seat. He had his arms crossed over his face and a pout on his lips.

"What did you guys talk about?" Nakatsu asked innocently, finishing off his meal by chugging his water. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"Oh, you know, school stuff," replied (Name), not so convincingly. It didn't take a genius to see that his answer had been a lie. But Nakatsu, being Nakatsu, didn't see anything wrong with that. He and Kayashima stood up to go throw away their lunches.

"We have to go work on our reports," informed Kayashima, who'd been strangely silent since (Name) had sat down. "So we won't be back."

"Have fun," Noe said absently.

Placing his palms on the table, Nakao stood up as well. "I have to use the bathroom," he said, and then stomped away. (Name) glanced over at Izumi, a question on his face.

Izumi shrugged. Poor kid didn't know that Nakao was overly jealous of any other female (or male) Nanba talked to. "It'll blow over," he said. "He just needs to sulk for a while."

He watched (Name) pull out an American-styled sandwich, which he proceeded to unwrap and then take a big bite. Then, after swallowing, (Name) scooted closer to Izumi.

He glanced over his shoulder at Sekime and Noe before saying, "So I took your advice and apologized to Minami. Now we're on good terms again."

"I can see," Izumi replied, adding just a hint of sarcasm to his reply. Luckily, (Name) didn't catch it. The Izumi said, "What were you mad at him for, anyway?"

(Name) hesitated, taking another bite of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "It's…sort of personal," he said, and he left it at that, turning to focus his attention on his lunch.

Izumi wasn't stupid enough to see that the kid was obviously embarrassed about something. (Name)'s cheeks had gone slightly red. But he didn't push it. Instead, he went back to his own lunch, swallowing the last of his Nikuman.

"Done!" A gleeful expression on his face, Sekime shut his Trigonometry things and leaned back in his seat. "You guys should be glad you're not in Trig. It's the hardest thing ever."

"We had it back in America," said (Name). "It was okay. I didn't like it, but it wasn't hard either."

"You're insane!" Sekime cried in mock horror. "I don't know how you do it!"

"He's not insane," Noe cut in. He'd put his novel down. "He's just insanely talented in academics."

"I don't care how talented he is or where his talent is, he's still insane." Refusing to change his judgment, Sekime propped up his feet onto the table, ignoring the look Izumi shot him. "So. I'm having a party in my dorm tomorrow night. You guys wanna come?"

"I'm in," Noe said brightly. He wore a smile on his face.

"There'll be drinks, right?" Izumi asked. When Sekime nodded, Izumi shook his head and said, "Then you know the answer. I won't come."

(Name) was surprised. "Why not?" he asked. "I think it sounds like fun."

"Atta boy," commented Sekime.

"Why not?" asked the brunette once more.

Izumi had hoped to avoid the question, but now that (Name) had said it, he felt embarrassed. He didn't want to answer it. "No reason," he said. "I just don't want to go."

He thought his answer would be enough to satisfy (Name), but apparently it hadn't been, for his roommate turned to Sekime and Noe expectantly.

Sekime smiled smugly. He pushed his glasses up with his index finger, his eyes gleaming. "You give Izumi a few glasses and once he's drunk, he becomes a _kissing fiend_."

"A kissing fiend?"

"He kisses everybody."

"Guys, c'mon," Izumi groaned, kicking the boy under the table. It was humiliating to have (Name) hear about it.

Noe nodded. "It's true. I remember one time…ugh, it was horrible." He shuddered, sticking out his tongue. "Trust me, (Name), you never want to be kissed by Izumi. Save your lips for a woman."

Izumi glanced at (Name) to see that the boy's cheeks had gone red.

The bell rang and all around the four, boys stood up to throw their lunches away and hurry to class. Sekime got to his feet, as did Noe. "Well, whether you decide to come or not, I'm having a small little party in my dorm tomorrow at nine. You guys are invited. Nakatsu's coming, of course, as is Nakao and Kayashima. Oh, and Nanba-sempai, too." Then Sekime raised a hand. "See you later."

The two boys exited, leaving Izumi with (Name). Izumi then gathered his things and then looked at his roommate. "Are you still planning to go?"

(Name) nodded eagerly. "Uh-huh!"

Despite having been called a 'kissing fiend' only a few minutes ago, Izumi chuckled, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "All right," he said. "I guess I can't stop you. I'll come along, too."

"Oh, you don't have to…"

"I know, but I'm still coming." Izumi couldn't leave poor, innocent (Name) in a room filled with those guys. Especially when they were planning on getting drunk together. He reached forward and ruffled his roommate's chestnut hair. "I'll see you back in the dorms, then," he said, turning and walking to class, throwing his eaten lunch into the garbage.

You stood there for a moment as the café emptied out. Then you dissolved into a fit of giggles. "A kissing fiend. No way."


	14. Damn

"Hey, (Name)!"

You'd been walking down the streets to your dorm when your name had been called, so you glanced over your shoulder and saw Nakatsu waving, headed in your direction. You stopped walking to let him catch up. "Hi, Nakatsu."

"Hey," he greeted. The tall male had his duffle bag slung over his shoulder and his hair was matted with sweat, as he was coming from soccer practice, even though the sky had turned a deep violet indigo and it was near twilight. "You're headed back to the dorms, right? Mind if I join you?"

"Sure, go ahead." Company was always a good thing. Besides, you liked Nakatsu. He was sweet. "Just finished a soccer practice, huh?"

"Yeah." He matched your stride easily with his long legs. "The season's almost over. We've got one more month."

"One month is a pretty long time," you said. You'd been at Gakuen for almost three weeks now.

"Right, but in that time frame we've got so many things to do. We're just about done with our road schedule and if we win the next two games, we'll go to the championships."

You'd seen Nakatsu and his team play at one game and more than a few practices. They were good. It was almost like watching demons play. The way Nakatsu handled the ball was almost like a dance; it was so graceful. "Not if, Nakatsu. You guys are definitely going to championships."

Nakatsu grinned down at you. "Thanks."

Then he started going on about the latest album out from some American band and as he raved, you sort of tuned him out, gazing at him from the corner of your eye. He was an awesome friend and you absolutely loved him, and like most guys (with the exception of Nanba and Umeda) he didn't know you were a girl. But you wondered what you would do if he found out. Nakatsu wasn't shy around girls, but he didn't morph into Mr. Smooth, either.

"…and so my whole point is, why would he write about a bunch of heartbreaks and stuff if he's in a relationship? Won't that just jinx it?"

You looked at Nakatsu. "That's just how American bands are, Nakatsu. Singers too. Love is the hot topic of song back home. They all write about heartbreaks and breakups, regardless of whether they are in a relationship or not."

"I still think it's weird." He dismissed the discussion topic with a wave of his hand. "Anyways, it's not that important. So, hey, (Name), about tonight. Are you going to Sekime's dorm?"

In truth, you were reeling from Nakatsu's sudden switches from topic to topic. But you mentally shook your head to clear your mind and then said, "What about it?"

"Oh, well, he caught me before classes ended and informed me about the small party he's having in his room tonight. I told him I'd go." Nakatsu shoved back the sleeve of his bright red sports jacket and quickly checked his neon plastic watch. "It starts in an hour, I think…oh, no, actually, it's already started."

You thought back to yesterday's lunch period and how Sekime had asked you. "Yeah, I remember him asking me. I can go."

"Great!" Nakatsu hooked his arm through yours'. "We'll go together, then!"

You hadn't hooked arms since you last saw Amelia and your friends back in America and the blonde's action brought a smile to your face. "Okay." Then you remembered what Sekime and Noe had informed you of. "Hey, Nakatsu? Is it true that Izumi turns into a 'kissing fiend' when he becomes drunk?"

Nakatsu began to laugh. "Oh, God, (Name), just thank the lord you weren't there. Have you ever been kissed by a boy? Well, that's what it's like."

Because you were a female, you'd had your share of kissing boys. There was that one time you'd kissed one of your ex-boyfriends from middle school when he told you he was sorry for calling you flat-chested, sexless, and ugly. And you had locked lips with Nanba plenty of times. Oh, and there was this one time a senior cornered you in an empty teacher's lounge and tried to force you to give him a hand-job in junior high. But you couldn't tell Nakatsu any of this, for you were posing as a boy. So you scrunched up your eyebrows and made a face. "That's gross, man." It wouldn't be that bad if Izumi kissed you, though…

"I know! It was disgusting! Luckily, that hadn't been my first kiss." He then glanced at you thoughtfully.

You looked at him. "Um, Nakatsu…?"

He pondered for another moment before smiling. "(Name), if I were you I'd protect myself tonight. Once Izumi gets drunk, there's no telling what can happen! And you're so cute, he might try to make a move on you!"

"What?" you spluttered, blushing. Izumi making a move on you? "Nakatsu, really, he would never—"

"You're so cute you could pass for a girl!" He reached out and patted your chest, making you blush redder. "But you don't have any boobs, so it's all good. I know you're a guy." Then he continued walking, and you followed him, staring at his back. He'd just touched your chest! It was a miracle that you didn't have evident breasts.

The two of you continued talking about nothing until you reached the dorms and made your way to Sekime's. Nakatsu knocked on the door, but when you stood there, waiting, he stepped forward and started pounding on it. "Hey! Anyone home?" he yelled.

A minute later, the door opened and Sekime poked his head out. "Keep it quiet, man," he scolded Nakatsu, giving you a welcoming smile. "Come on in. You guys are late."

"I warned you in advance that we were doing extra conditioning in practice today," Nakatsu protested, walking in. He kicked his cleats off into a pile of shoes over by the door, and then dumped his duffle bag there as well. "Hey, everyone's here!"

Sekime held the door for you. "What's your excuse, (Name)?" he asked, smiling. As captain of the track team and a straight-A student, Sekime had to juggle many things at once, but he was still as neat as a pin, and he always had time for a beer or two or a glance at his beloved porn magazines, which were strewn across his bed.

You offered a smile, shrugging your shoulders. "I don't have one?"

He laughed, waving you inside, and then he shut the door behind you. His room was fairly large and neat. Everything had been pushed to the outside of the room to clear space in the middle for the party, and that's where the guests were sitting. They were cross-legged on the wooden floor, holding food and drinks, their feet still sock-clad.

As you looked around, the guys all grinned at you. Noe was there, along with Kayashima and Nakao. There were two other guys you didn't know but you recognized the one in your Advanced Lit. class. Nanba was there, also, as was Izumi. Your roommate raised his eyebrows at you and gave you a small smile. He held a beer in his hand.

Nanba gave you a smoldering look. "Glad you decided to join us, (Name)," he greeted, beckoning you to sit. You could tell that he'd had some alcohol—his eyes were brighter than usual. He had a golden tin box in his lap, and he motioned to it as you sat down, in between Kayashima and the bed. "Check it out. An admirer of mine gave me some Belgian chocolates. You've gotta try one, (Name)."

"They're delicious," chimed in Nakao. He was in a good mood, seated a little bit too close to Nanba. His cheeks were flushed.

You grabbed a white chocolate covered biscuit, sprinkled with toffee bits, and nibbled it hesitantly. The chocolate melted in your mouth instantly. "Wow," you said, tasting its rich flavor dribble down your throat. "It _is _good."

"Told you." He stuffed a few chocolate covered biscuits into his mouth.

"Hey!" Noe cried, trying to snatch some away. "Don't eat them all! You know those are my favorite!"

"First come, first serve," replied Nanba easily, washing down his mouthful with a swig of vodka.

You glanced at the boys. This was the most comfortable; the most relaxed you'd gotten with them since meeting them. The ties around their necks had been loosened, belts had been undone, and collars were open, displaying the top of fine-built chests. They talked and laughed and wolfed down food easily around you.

A good hour passed as you and the guys chatted about everything, pausing only to eat some snacks or drink the alcohol. A few times, one of the boys would come up with a silly game to play, and you'd all just end up laughing.

Nakao gazed at you. He looked pretty wasted, not to mention sleepy, though it was only nine-thirty. "(Name), why don't you take off that shirt?" he asked innocently. Nanba had already a while ago, and he sat now bare-chested, though you weren't complaining. "You haven't even taken off the tie or anything."

"Yeah, it looks hot underneath it," said Nakatsu. He'd stripped down to his undershirt and pants. "Take it off. We're all guys, so don't worry."

You looked at the boys sitting around you and suddenly your heart started to pound. They'd unwillingly cornered you against the wall with their question. How would you decline? "Uh…" You couldn't take off your shirt. This wasn't good…

But someone's voice surprisingly cut in. "Don't take it off, (Name). It's not like it matters, anyway."

Izumi was leaning against the wall, his knees up in front of him. He flashed you a look before saying, "You probably don't want to get your shirt all rumpled and dirty. I'm not washing it. We ran out of soap, remember?"

"Right," you said, playing along. But you were relieved and you sent him a silent thank-you.

The guys shrugged, though Nanba had that sly grin. "Whatever," he said nonchalantly. "All right, who's ready for some more booze?" He produced two more six-packs of alcohol.

"Yeah!" The guys clapped and cheered.

Another hour trickled by and the party had simmered down by then. Noe had asleep in the chair by the desk, an empty can dangling from his hand. The host, Sekime, was drunkenly talking to his two buddies on the bed. Nakatsu was sprawled across the floor, dead to the world. Nakao had passed out against the wall. You and Izumi were awake, as well as Nanba. Kayashima was up, too, but he was reading a book.

You'd drunk a little vodka and had some chocolate, but that was about it. In most cases, you tended to avoid alcohol. Past experiences had proved that you couldn't hold the alcohol down as well as others. So you were still sober, unless you counted the slight fuzziness of your vision.

Nanba smirked in your direction. He scooted over to where you were. "Still up, eh, (Name)?" he said.

"You know me," you replied. "Looks like everyone's about ready to pass out."

"Nakao already did." Nanba tossed his head back and guzzled the remaining contents of his vodka. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "I guess I should take the little guy back to his room. I warned him in advance not to drink to much, but as usual, he ignored me."

"He idolizes you, Minami," you said softly, glancing at Nakao. The pretty boy was out cold, his head cushioned on his arm.

"Don't I know it. It's nice to have a fan, though." Nanba then leaned closer to you. "(Name), will you be all right here? These guys have had something to drink."

"I'm fine, really," you insisted, pushing him away. Izumi was looking at the two of you with a curious look on his face. "I can handle myself."

"I'm sure you can, but…they might try to pull something on you. It'll get nasty if they do." He lowered his voice. "One girl in a room with intoxicated boys? Your parents would be very ashamed if I left you here."

You were touched at his concern, even though it was a little annoying. "You're intoxicated as well, Minami."

"I could take you to my dorm."

His eyes gleamed and you almost laughed at the mischievous look on his face. "No, no, that's out of the question. Minami, I'll be fine. Really." You touched his arm.

His playfulness disappeared and that pained look surfaced on his handsome face. "(Name)…I…"

"What is it?" you asked softly.

He shook his head and then stood up. "Good night, (Name). Sweet dreams, all right?" He said this with a cheerful look on his face, but it was forced. Then before you could say anything more, he gathered his stuff and Nakao's stuff in one hand while tossing the limp boy over his broad shoulder with the other. Nanba left, closing the door behind him.

You let out a breath and tilted your head back, closing your eyes. A wave of dizziness washed over you. You didn't know what was wrong with Nanba. He'd always been the easygoing, flirtatious, sexy playboy. But all of a sudden, he'd been quiet and moody and it seemed like he was almost in pain every time he was with you. Was he sick, maybe? You weren't sure.

Nausea swept again, and you thought you might pass out. But you barely drank any vodka. It must have been sleepiness, however, for you suddenly wanted to sleep.

You opened your eyes slightly. Kayashima had also left, taking his stuff with him. He'd left behind his roommate, Nakatsu, who was lightly snoring away on the floor. Sekime had fallen asleep, and his two pals were pulling on their shoes. The one in your Advanced Literature class nodded at you. "See you in class," he said.

You nodded. "Bye," you tried to say, but your tongue wouldn't work. So you just ended up nodding and mumbling some incoherent word. The two boys left.

Now you were in a room with three boys, all of whom were asleep.

"Oh, right, Izumi's still here," you murmured to yourself. You tried to sit up and open your eyes to see what he was doing. You gasped.

He was sitting right next to you. His hair was all messed up, his eyes unnaturally bright and his cheeks flushed. You confirmed that he was drunk, no doubt. But then Sekime's words floated back to you: "You give Izumi a few glasses and once he's drunk, he becomes a _kissing fiend_."

You flicked your eyes at the male.

He had a smile on his face. "Hey, (Name)," he said softly. There was an adorable lisp in his voice, one that made you swoon.

You tried to snap yourself back to attention. "Izumi, are you drunk?" you asked him.

"No…" He giggled.

He was drunk. Excitement burned deep in your stomach. Was it true? Did Izumi really become a kissing fiend? But you masked it away and said, "Izumi, listen to me. We're going back to our dorm. Okay?" You talked in the voice one would use with a five-year-old. You slowly started to stand up.

Then Izumi tackled you to the ground. He knocked you onto your back. You looked up at him. "Izumi?" you gasped.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked. Before you could answer, he pressed his lips against yours'.

You were stunned and you lay there, the male on top of you, pinning your body down with his body. He was kissing you. Izumi Sano, your crush, was _kissing_ you! This was nothing like Nanba's kisses or any other you'd experienced. This one brought pleasure and delight, all wrapped in a ribbon.

"Mmm," he groaned, "you taste yummy. Like chocolate." His tongue slipped into your mouth and he ran it along your bottom lip.

You wanted more, but you felt weird. You tried to gently move him off of you. "Hey—" You felt around for his hands and found them delved in your hair. "Come on, let me up…"

"But I want to kiss you more," he whined. "I want to lick you. I want to _eat_ you."

You blushed furiously as he said that. Sinful thoughts rushed through your head. Oh, how you wanted him to eat you! "Izumi, you're drunk—"

He then fell against you.

There you stayed like that for a moment or two. His head was in the crook of your neck and shoulder. He was limp and wasn't moving much. Then you slowly pushed yourself onto your elbows and brushed his hair away to see his face.

He was asleep.

A smile came onto your lips. You rolled him off of you and then sat up, dazed. He'd kissed you and then fallen asleep. But the important thing was that he'd kissed you. Even though it had been a drunken kiss, which he probably wouldn't remember in the morning.

Then you laughed. "So the great Izumi Sano really is a kissing fiend when he's drunk," you said softly, stroking his forehead with your fingers. "I'll have to remember that."


	15. Strip

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. You gathered your books and started to stand.

The seat in front of you, Izumi swept his things into one hand and then rested them on his hip as he turned to face you. "How do you think you did on the test?" he asked.

You kept your eyes on your papers as you shoved them into your folder. "A few questions were hard," you said, "especially the last one. But other than that, I think I did well."

"Yeah? Lucky you." He leaned against the edge of your desk, waiting for you. "I think I might have failed. If I have to reassess, can I use your notes?"

"Sure, anything," you replied, glancing up at him through your lashes. He was looking at you, a faint smile on his lips, and your eyes darted downwards, focusing on your desk.

Ever since that party on Friday, you hadn't been able to look at Izumi's face. He'd gotten drunk and kissed you before falling asleep on top of you. When he'd woken up the next morning—he had a slight hangover—he hadn't remembered a single thing after getting drunk.

Now, though, every time you caught his eyes, you would blush or your heart would skip a beat or something. You still felt the kiss. You could taste him on your lips, hear his groan, feel his tongue. And the strange thing was you wanted more. But you didn't want more. Somehow, you didn't enjoy the kiss as much as you would have if he were not drunk.

You picked up your stuff and together, the two of you walked out the door and into the hallway. "We're eating lunch outside today. Are you going to join us?"

You shook your head. "Nah."

"Why not?" Standing next to you, he was almost a head taller than you. He towered over you and it was hard for you to match your stride to his, with his long legs and all. Thankfully, he noticed you were struggling to keep up and he slowed down.

As much as you'd love to join Izumi and the guys outside for a nice lunch, you couldn't. "I'm not hungry," you lied, smiling. "But I'll catch up with you later, all right?"

He gave you a questioning look. But he didn't press. "Right side, by the tree," he informed, and then turned to walk down the hallway towards his locker. You waved until he was out of sight, and then you doubled over, clutching your stomach.

"Ugh," you murmured. "This is the only reason why I wish I weren't a girl." This morning, before coming to school, you'd gone to use the bathroom and saw that you had received your "monthly gift". You didn't have any medicine, and you barely had time to strap on a pad.

"Hopefully Dr. Umeda will have some pills," you said, desperately wishing that to be true.

You quickly made your way to his office. You didn't know how you did it, for when you stumbled into his room, you sank down on the chair by the door with a low moan. "Oh, God, _Sensei_, I hope you have something good, for I am in so much _pain_," you started to say when Umeda brushed aside the curtain, giving you a look that told you to shut up.

A second later, a boy followed him. He was talking in the middle of talking to him. You clamped your mouth shut and then grabbed your neck, faking that your voice was gone. "Thanks, Dr. Umeda, it helped a lot," said the boy. He hadn't noticed you yet. "But what do you think I should do? I'm not sure myself."

"I'm a doctor, not a philosopher," replied the blonde. "However, I would tell you to do whatever your heart desires. Listen to your heart. And use your brain."

"Okay. Thanks." The student glanced your way and seemed surprised to see you. "Hello, (Name)," he greeted, and then slipped out the door.

Umeda's calm demeanor vanished and he gave you a withering stare. "You can't just barge in here whenever you feel like it!" he scolded. "You have to watch your mouth! You don't know who's in here!"

"Sorry, sorry," you said. Then you stood up as he waved you inside, and you took a seat on the couch. "But I really had to come, _Sensei_. It's important."

"What is it?" he asked, sitting in his chair. He reached into the breast pocket of his doctor's coat and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with nimble fingers.

"Do you have any pills?" You felt sort of awkward asking him this, but you had no one else to ask. You couldn't ask a teacher, or the boys, not even Nanba. And especially not Izumi.

Umeda looked at you. "For what?"

You smiled shyly. "You know…"

His eyes flickered in reorganization and then he nodded. "You have your period?"

"Well, if you want to say it so bluntly, then go ahead…"

He gave you a wicked smile. "I have some painkillers." He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a small pill container filled with bluish-purple pills. Then he dumped one into his hand and held it out to you.

You took it gratefully. "Thank you."

"Are you going to dry-swallow it or do you want something to drink? I've got some tea," he offered.

"Tea would be nice," you said. As you said it, your stomach rumbled, suddenly hungry. It had been a mess all day, growling impatiently during class. "Why are you being so nice to me, _Sensei_?"

"Nice? I'm being nice? No, I'm not being nice," he said, pouring some green tea into a little cup. "But I happen to know that you're missing your lunch right now to come see me and if I don't give you something to drink, you'll come complaining to me later."

You laughed. "Jeez, that's not what I'd do."

"That's _exactly_ what you'd do."

"Yeah, you're right."

He slid the cup across the table and you took it, raising it to your lips. It was hot, and it burned the tip of your tongue, so you kept it on the table to let it cool off, setting the pill on the side. Then you looked at Umeda, who was sucking the end of his cigarette greedily.

He looked back at you, an eyebrow raised. "Tea too good for you, hmm?"

"No, no, it's just too hot," you said.

"Then what are you looking at me for?"

"Well, I…" You smiled. "I was just wondering. Who do you like, _Sensei_?"

He calmly blew out a tendril of smoke, letting it hang in the air. "And what kind of question is that, (Name)?" he asked. "My love life isn't something I like to share."

"Aww, _Sensei_," you whined, making puppy-dog eyes. "You already know I have a crush on Izumi. I want to know who _you're_ in love with. Is it one of the teachers here?"

He shook his head, wrinkling his perfect eyebrows. "Teacher-teacher relationships are something I can't stand," he said. "None of them are worth it, anyway. Drink your tea. It should be fine by now."

You picked it up and tasted a bit. It was still hot, but you swallowed the pill and a few mouthfuls of the sweet liquid and then wiped your mouth hastily. "Please tell me. Please? Pleeeeeease?"

He finally gave in. "All right," he said. "Since you won't leave me alone about it. It's one of my friends from high school."

"Oh, how romantic," you crooned.

He glanced out the window. "I guess you could call it that."

"What's he like, _Sensei_?"

"Well…" He took a few moments to think about it. "He's sadistic, mean, heartless, and a complete jerk."

You gulped down some more tea. It was delicious. You usually didn't drink tea for living in America involved a lot of caffeine and mochas, but you had it whenever it was offered to you (mostly in Japan). "He doesn't sound very friendly. Why do you like a man like him, _Sensei_?"

Umeda gave you another wicked smile. "I guess I just have bad taste."

Then his eyes flicked downwards at his watch. "(Name), you should get going."

"Kicking me out already?"

"You're going to miss lunch if you don't move it. Your friends are probably wondering by now. Any second they'll have Nakatsu come here to beat me up for the possibility of molesting you."

"But you're not into that kind of thing, right?" you said, standing up. You finished the rest of the tea and handed him the plate.

"Exactly. I have better things to do than rape little girls." He dangled his cigarette between his fingers and smirked. "(Name), would you stop?"

"Stop what?" You were confused.

"You know exactly what I mean. You keep trying to strip away all my layers. Well, Minami and I are different. He's a soft-hearted dumbass who falls for anything with breasts. I'm not going to let you, just because you're a girl."

You could feel the pill working its magic in your system. Thank God for painkillers. Your menstrual cramps slowly started to disappear, and you felt reenergized. "I'm not doing anything, _Sensei._ I'm just being myself." You then flashed him a wink. "I'll see you later! Have a nice day!" With that said, you slipped out of his room.


	16. Soaked

You inserted your key into the lock and jiggled it around before turning the knob. It didn't make a click, meaning someone had already come in since you'd locked it. There was only one possibility, so you felt easy as you walked inside your dorm.

The door to the bathroom was closed, and you could hear the water running on full blast behind it. Izumi was taking a shower already. Usually he took one when he came home, but then again, he was home early today. You were just returning from a session of Biology with Nanba. He'd treated you to a cup of tea (tea must've run in the family, for both he and Umeda had an obsession with it!) while at the same time, he taught you about the life science unit that was going on at the moment. Izumi's practice had been cancelled because there was supposed to be a storm or something.

"Well, that just means I get to see him shirtless for a little while," you sang to yourself, smiling. You threw your books onto his bed and then took off your coat, draping it over the chair just as the water was shut off.

Sinking down into the chair, you lifted a leg into the air and took off your shoes slowly, one by one, hooking your finger to get it off. Then you tossed them over by the door, watching as they landed separate from each other. "I'll make sure to move them later," you promised. "But I can't do it right now, not when Izumi's going to come out bare-chested." That was the one thing you loved about having him take a shower first. You could witness his upper half in all of its shiny, glistening-with-droplets-or-water glory. He had a nice body, too.

There was an envelope on the desk and you curiously looked at it. It was addressed to Izumi from some unknown location. Whoever had sent it didn't put his or her name. But the handwriting was curly and pretty, and from the look of it, you could figure out that it was a girl. Hmm. A fan, maybe? Izumi had plenty of those here in Japan.

The envelope was still sealed; he hadn't touched it. You started to pick it up, and then you caught yourself and dropped it back onto his desk. "What do I care about his mail, anyway?" you scolded yourself. "It's probably one of his fans. Nothing I should be jealous of."

You'd lowered your hand back into your lap, running your fingers through your hair at the moment the bathroom's door opened and Izumi stepped out, clad in low-rider sweatpants, the towel around his neck. Few tendrils of smoke escaped from inside the bathroom.

"Hey—welcome home," he said.

"Thanks." You playfully narrowed your eyes at him. "I thought you said I could take a shower first today."

"Well, I waited and you were taking too long, so…" He shrugged, walking over to his bed. Moving aside your books, he took a seat, wiping his hair with the towel. "Practice got cancelled because of that storm. So I had a lot of free time on my hands when I got here. Actually used it to finish my homework ahead of time."

"Lucky. I've got tons of homework." You tried not to stare at the perfect, tight abs he had. My Gosh, all that high jumping gave him that body? It looked like it belonged to a Roman God! You desperately wanted to run your fingers over his abdomen. "I hope the storm isn't anything too bad. Nakatsu might still be at practice."

"Still? It's nearly dinnertime."

"He had a scrimmage today."

Izumi propped up an elbow behind him, leaning back comfortably. "So. Where were you?"

"Minami was tutoring me over at this café down the street. For Biology. I just don't understand the life science!" You exhaled dramatically, blowing your bangs out of your face. Your hair had gotten long. Pretty soon it would be time for a haircut. You told yourself to remember that.

"I could always help you with Biology," he offered. He'd had the class last semester (and now was taking Introductory to Chemistry or Anatomy or something of the sort).

"That would be nice." Having Izumi tutor you was always a plus, no matter how fun the sessions with Nanba were.

Izumi sat back up and gazed at you for a moment, his dark eyes smoldering. "You spend a lot of time with Nanba," he said quietly.

You smiled easily. "Well, after we made up, he just…I don't know…he's like an older brother to me." You couldn't say you'd spent a lot of your childhood with the playboy. Then you decided to add a little of truth to your explanation and you said, "I've actually known him for a while."

"Well, that explains it. No wonder. I was starting to get worried that Nanba was terrorizing you or something." He chuckled, though his expression was thoughtful; so you laughed along with him, trying to ease whatever tension he had.

Then you got to your feet slowly. "I'm going to take a shower now," you informed him. "The water should be just about right."

"Cool. Afterwards, we should go get some dinner. Tonight's going to be Kare Raisu," and when he saw your confused expression, he clarified, "curry rice, and it's real popular. So it'll be first come, first serve. Though Nakatsu should be back by then. Maybe he'll grab some extra dishes and we can just eat off of his."

"Gotcha." Japan's curry rice was amazing. So much better than the ones back in America. You walked towards the bathroom door, opening it, and Izumi threw you his towel. "Put that back for me, please?"

You smiled. "Then you owe me some peach juice."

"Fair enough." He smiled back.

You entered the bathroom and closed the door behind you.

A few minutes later, Izumi heard (Name) twist the faucet on, and the water rushed out from the showerhead. He knew the brunette would be tuning the water's heat up. Showers were a lot more pleasant when the water was heated.

He got up and went over to his desk. There was the letter he'd found in the mail earlier. It was from a girl he knew, one that lived close by to his home. She was probably sending information about Shin. He'd asked her to keep an eye out for his little brother—it was easy because they were both in the same class, Shin and Rose. Izumi would have to thank her for the update.

Pushing the envelope into his hand, he sank into the chair and slipped his index finger under the seal. He went to open the envelope when he remembered.

"Shit…" he mumbled, rising from the chair. He quickly walked over to the bathroom and tried the doorknob, finding it open. Bursting into the bathroom, he started, "Hey, (Name), sorry, but can you hand me my cell phone? It's not…waterproof…"

(Name) stood frozen, back towards Izumi, in the shower, the water running full blast overhead.

Izumi felt his face turning red. "…uh…"

(Name) quickly grabbed the cell phone sitting in that crook of the shower, right by the soap, and handed it back wards to Izumi. "Here."

"Thanks." He quickly backpedaled out of the bathroom, shutting the door.

You stayed rooted to the spot, your heart pounding. Then you slowly let out a breath. "It's okay," you told yourself, reaching for the faucet. You turned up the heat a little more. "He only saw my back, that's all. And maybe my butt. Nothing to worry about." With your heart more at ease, you grabbed the sponge and started to hum an American pop song, scrubbing soap all over your body. It was all good. Your cover hadn't been blown. He hadn't seen much.

Izumi stood right outside the door, his slightly wet cell phone in his hand. He stared at it, not really seeing it. He'd seen _everything. _ He'd seen all of (Name)'s body.

"Damn it," he muttered, pressing the palm of his free hand into his eyes. "Girl. Girl. (Name)'s a girl. How could I have forgotten?"

He exhaled loudly. In his hand, the cell phone sputtered a tune before dying. Izumi glanced at it.

"It's broken. I'll have to get it fixed." That was another thing to add to the list. Izumi tossed the useless thing onto his bed. Then he walked back over to his desk, sinking down. He picked up the envelope and opened it, forcing the mental image of (Name) out of his mind.


	17. Foolish

You pulled out some yen from the back pocket of your plaid pants and slipped into the vending machine. Then you entered in the number for the peach juice and watched as the machinery let the can drop to the bottom, making a dull clanking noise. The machine sputtered out some change and you pocketed it.

"Wow! It's cold," you said, picking it up. "Lucky!" There was only one thing better than peach juice, and it was cold peach juice. You turned and started towards your dorm.

As you passed the front lobby, you saw the dorm manager walking inside with the dog, Yujirou. The second it laid its eyes on you, Yujirou tore away from the manager and sprinted towards you, ignoring the manager and his cries of protest. It jumped up on you, paws on your uniform, scuffing you lightly.

"Hey! Hey, there," you greeted the canine warmly. "How are you, boy? Missed me?"

The manager quickly came over to you. "Sorry," he apologized, tugging the leash gently. "I don't know why he does that. He's sees you enough, anyway, and yet he still feels a need to pounce on you. Oh, well, dogs are dogs, what can I say?" He laughed, and you laughed with him.

You didn't really see the manager that much. He was just another faceless man here at Osaka Gakuen, one you didn't remember. He was one of those where you'd need a name, time, and place in order to remember him. Most of the times, he was never at the dorms, and since Nanba was dorm head, you went to him with all of your problems. But on occasion, you had talked to the manager and he was nice, so you had nothing to complain about.

With Yujirou sitting by your side, his tail wagging and his tongue hanging out from his mouth, you could now stand up and look at the manager. His face was always blurry; you could never place any more detail in his features other than his eyes were blue and his jaw was square. "It's all right. About Yujirou. He's such a sweet dog, anyway." As if the dog could understand you, he woofed approvingly and wagged his tail with more vigor.

The manager smiled. "He has taken quite a shine to you." Then he went, "Oh! That's right, (Name), I have something for you."

"Me?" What could it be?

"A package. Wait here, please." He rushed off to retrieve it from his office, leaving you with a can of cold peach juice and Yujirou.

A few moments later, he reappeared, carrying a big brown cardboard box in his hands. He handed it to you. "Here you go. Came this morning."

You looked at the sender's address and recognized it immediately. "It's from my family."

"A care package, huh?" The manager nodded. "Well, it's good to see that your parents are looking out for you." Then he leaned closer, sharing some advice, "But some of the other guys might heckle you for some of it, especially if food happens to be in there. I'm just going to warn you, since this experience will be new to you!" Then he clapped your shoulder and started off towards the door, leading Yujirou. "Enjoy!"

"Thank you!" you called after him. Then you turned and headed towards the elevator.

As you rode it up to your floor, you examined the outside of the box. The writing on the front was scrawled and messy, yet elegant in its own way. No doubt, it was your brother's calligraphy. But what could he have sent you? Curiously, you shook the box. The contents rattled around in there. Well, it was heavy, so it was probably stacked with something. Books, maybe?

You stepped out of the elevator and started down the corridor. As you rounded the corner, you ran into two familiar faces: the track captain and his blonde friend.

"Hey, (Name)." Noe smiled at you. "Good morning."

"Morning."

Sekime noticed the box in your hands, though it was kind of hard to miss. "Oh. What'cha got there?"

"I'm not sure. It's from home."

The boys loomed over you. "(Name), we're friends, right?" Sekime said.

You gave him a confused smile. Didn't he know that? "Um, yeah."

"So, if that happens to be a care package, can we have some?" Noe asked, his eyes glinting.

"Um, sure." The manager's friendly advice came back to you and you almost laughed. Well, Sekime and Noe were local boys; so of course, they didn't get care packages when they lived a few blocks or at worse, a few miles away from campus. You went towards your room, waving the boys to follow you. "Come on."

They sat down on the floor and you took a seat next to them, placing your hands on the top of the box. Suddenly your heart started pounding. What if the box held something girly, and it gave away your identity? How would you escape this one? You slowly started to open it, buying time, wondering.

Someone poked their blonde head in the doorway. It was Nakatsu. "Hey," he said, walking in.

You smiled. "Hey. What's up?"

"Well, I was going to see if you wanted any of my candy." He sat down next to you, holding out a box. "Tiger Yaki? You want?"

You looked at the candy and then took out a fairly-large piece. You had a major sweet tooth. "Thanks. Is this really made from tiger?"

He grinned, patting your head. "God, you're so cute."

Then he noticed Sekime and Noe and rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "You guys are here, too? Do you want any candy?"

They shook their heads. Then Sekime grabbed the package from you. "I'll open it, okay?" he offered, his strong hands working the tape. "Seems like you can't open it. All you had to do was ask, though, (Name)."

You tried to smile at him, cringing on the inside.

Finally, when he got the box open, he tossed aside the flaps to display your package. You held your breath and the four of you peered inside.

"American snacks!" Noe cried out gleefully.

It was filled with American brands of chips, energy drinks, candy, sweets, chocolate—all the good stuff you missed eating. The boys dug in and grabbed chip bags and energy drinks, snagging some candy on the side. You didn't mind at their greediness. After all, there were plenty to go around. You'd have to share the stash with Nanba. Maybe save something for Izumi.

Sekime and Noe pigged out on their prizes on the floor in front of you. "Thanks, (Name), you're the best," they both sighed happily.

Through your mouthful of white-chocolate-covered-pretzel, you laughed.

There was a letter at the bottom of the box. You picked it up, pulling out the paper from the envelope. It was one from your parents, asking how you were faring and if you were studying or not. Just as you finished reading it, a picture fell out, landing face-down on the floor.

Nakatsu picked it up. Then a sly smile spread across his lips. "(Name)," he said. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"Huh?"

"Whoa! How come you've never told us about this sexy babe?" Sekime commented, looking at the picture.

You were confused, until Nakatsu showed you the picture. Then a fond smile came over your lips. You remembered when that photo had been taken. It was the day you put one your brand-new Osaka Gakuen uniform. With your hair freshly cut, your skin slightly tanned from hanging out in a bikini by the beach all summer, bringing out light freckles over your nose, you really looked like a boy. Amelia had her arm linked through yours', and she pulled you to her bosom, smiling happily at the camera, her long brown hair pulled up in a messy topknot.

Gazing at the picture, you realized how much you really missed Amelia. She was your best friend. You'd met her in fourth-grade and the two of you stuck close ever since. Leaving her back in America, along with your other friends, had been hard.

Noe snapped his finger lightly in front of your face, bringing you back into reality. "She's cute, (Name)," he said. "She's your girlfriend, right?"

You laughed, holding the picture tightly in your fingers. "She's a good friend of mine."

Sekime was digging in the box for more American snacks, probably trying to hit the jackpot, when he apparently hit something even better. He pulled out a folded note. "Oooh! What's this?" he crowed, ripping the seal and opening the paper in one fast motion. "It's from Jun," he said.

You snapped your head towards the male. "Wait, don't read that—!" You tried to grab it from him, but he held it out of your reach, reading it aloud.

"'To my cute, little sister. Hope you're enjoying Japan! Love, Jun (Surname).' "

Then Sekime reached into the box and pulled something even better out of it: an American-styled white sundress, the kind made from light cotton with the soft straps that would slip from your shoulder.

You forced a laugh from your throat, grabbing the dress from Sekime. "Hahaha. Jun is so funny. He always wastes his money to play tricks like this on me."

The boys believed you and they went back to eating, talking about some recent sports game or something. You sat there, lost in your racing thoughts, staring at the sundress. It was cute, but it had almost blown your cover. God. You'd have to tell Jun to stop sending such expensive gifts. Especially ones that could instantly blow your cover.


	18. Never Again

It was one of those rare days where you actually finished your homework quickly. The Literature essay you were required to write only took about a half hour of your time, since you'd gotten a jump-start on it a week ago. Outside the weather was nice and Izumi wasn't home yet, so you decided to go for a walk.

You shrugged into a jacket and walked out of the dorms. As you passed the dog house, Yujirou sat up and woofed, his dog tail wagging animatedly. He seemed to want to come with you. The manager was nearby and said that it was fine; you could take Yujirou for a walk; so you clipped the leash onto his collar and off the two of you went.

You took the route that led to the school. A part of you wanted to see Izumi in action; to watch him as he beautifully soared, executing the high jump with precision and grace. You hadn't seen him jump in a while, and it was time you gave your eyes a treat. Smiling, you gently tugged Yujirou's collar, leading him to where Izumi and the rest of the team would be practicing.

Wearing only a pair of baggy, navy-colored jeans and an American T-shirt underneath your jacket, you looked like a normal boy out taking a walk with a dog. In a twisted reality, that's sort of what you were. A boy, taking a dog out for a walk.

But you weren't a boy; you were a girl, a sixteen-year-old girl with an underdeveloped body. Thanks to your chest, which was just about as flat as a board, you were able to pass for an American teenage boy. No one had figured out yet, save for Umeda and Nanba, who'd already known.

Thinking about it made you remember your little incident with Izumi. He'd walked in on you while you were in the shower only a few days ago. The need to take a shower had made you forget to pull the curtains closed, as you did back home. Sometimes you could be so scatter-brained. And that foolishness on your part had led to the near leak of your secret coming out–that you are a girl. But luckily, Izumi had only seen the back of you.

You blushed then. What if you'd been facing the bathroom door when he walked in? What would have become of you? And how would have he reacted, seeing the naked body of a girl? It was an interesting thought.

You reached the fields, where you knew Izumi would be. And sure enough, he was there, with some of the other high jumpers. He was smiling at a fellow teammate, reaching his hand out to bump fists with him. The white shirt he wore had some streaks of dirt on it, and grass stains clung to his shirt, meaning he'd already jumped.

Out of the corner of his eye, he must've seen you because he said something to the boy and then came on over where you were, leaning against the fence. "Hey," he greeted. "Finished your homework already?"

"I'd worked ahead on the report," you said. Then you pointed to his shirt. "Did you just jump?"

"Yep. We're about done for today." He was only slightly out of breath, his hair messed up adorably. Then he kneeled down and put his hand through an opening in the fence to pat Yujirou's head. "Hey, boy, how are you?"

You pouted inwardly. If only you'd been a few minutes earlier! "I was hoping I'd get to see you jump."

"We have a meet coming up soon. I'll promise to update you about it. Okay?"

Well, that would be nice. So you nodded and said, "Sure."

Sano straightened up, brushing dust off from his shirt. "Here, I'm going to get changed and then I'll meet you out here." He thought for a moment, pondering silently. "You said you're done with your homework, so how about I treat you to a restaurant?"

The last time you'd gone to a restaurant with him had been the weekend when you first arrived, a few weeks ago. What was the harm of having a meal with Izumi? You smiled. He'd be taking you out for food! Just like a date back in America!

"How about it?"

"It would be wonderful," you replied happily. "But I hope you're treating, because I can eat a whole lot!"

"Well, I am the man in this scenario, so of course I'm treating." But he chuckled lowly and then turned to follow the rest of his teammates off of the field.

You led Yujirou over to a park bench and sat down; the dog settled near your feet, resting his head on his paws. The thought of Izumi treating you to a meal was so cool! If your friend Amelia heard about this, she would be happy for you. Being so pretty, she was popular with the boys, and therefore had more experience than you did.

Thinking about your childhood friend made you wonder how she was doing. How was she faring at school? Was her third year turning out to be fun? She was probably as beautiful and outgoing as ever. Maybe over break you could go and visit her, along with your family, sometime.

Inside the back pocket of your jeans, your cell phone buzzed, vibrating against your leg. You pulled it out, and then held it in your palm for a moment, admiring it. It was the latest model in America. Your brother Jun had sent it, hidden in the stitching of the white sundress's bosom, the one he'd sent you.

You had to admit, when Izumi hadn't been home the other day, you locked the door and then shimmied out of your uniform and cover-up vest. Then you'd tried the present from Jun. The sundress fit you perfectly, snug on the waist and hips. It had some supportive cups where a normal woman's full breasts would've gone, so it gave the illusion that you actually _had_ a chest. As you'd twirled around your dorm, spinning happily in your dress, you thought about Izumi and what he'd been thinking if he saw you. Would he think you were beautiful? Would he blush? You loved the way he blushed. His nose and cheeks turned red and he just looked so adorable, you wanted to hug him.

Snapping back to reality, you flipped open the phone and checked the caller ID quickly before pressing it to your ear. "Hello?"

"(Name)?" An unfamiliar voice spoke out from the other line.

"Yes?"

"All right; it works," said the person, and you could hear his smile. It was a male, but you didn't know who.

"Um, who is this?" you tried, not wanting to sound rude.

He laughed. It wasn't menacing, just oddly strange and unsettling. "Oh, no one," he assured. "I'm just some random nobody who got the wrong number."

Wrong number? But he'd said that it worked…

"Very soon, my sweet. I'll see you very soon." And then he hung up.

You looked at the phone in your hand. "What was that?" you asked it, even though you knew it wouldn't answer. When it didn't provide a reason, you decided that it was probably one of Jun's friends, playing a prank on you. They did that a lot. One time, a tall blonde named Alex had slipped a small worm into your bra. You hadn't known until you put it on and gosh, you'd screamed so loud! When you thought about it, it had been pretty funny, even though you were upset for a while afterwards.

Shrugging it off, you slipped the phone back into your pocket just as Yujirou sat up, wagging his tail happily. You raised your head to see Izumi walking in your direction, his schoolbag tossed over one broad shoulder. He looked really good in a plaid shirt and jeans.

"Ready to go?" he asked, stopping right in front of you.

You stood up, holding Yujirou's leash loosely in your hand. "Uh-huh."

The two of you departed from the school's campus and stared walking on one of the sidewalks by a main street. With his long legs, Izumi was able to take big strides and soon, he was ahead of you, leaving you behind. You walked a little faster, trying to catch up, but it was no use–he was too far ahead. But just before you could call out his name, he slowed down, a slight smirk on his lips.

"Sorry," he apologized, not sounding sorry at all. "I didn't realize I was walking too fast."

"No, it's okay." But you were breathless when you replied and he slowed down even more, matching his steps to yours'.

"So. Know any good restaurants?"

"There's a buffet a few blocks from here. I haven't gone there yet, but Nakatsu and Sekime were saying that it's really good." The blonde thought any and every food joint was wonderful. He had such a huge stomach; he could eat a gaping hole into your wallet.

"I've been there. The sushi is amazing, actually. And normally I don't eat sushi."

"Don't like it?"

"Never had much of an appetite for seafood."

Yujirou was trotting along effortlessly on your one side, and on the other was Izumi, standing tall and strong. The gentle wind played with his hair, making it adorably messy, and you just wanted to run your finger through the silk and fix it. Of course, doing that while posing as a boy would be weird, so you kept your hands at your sides.

A comfortable silence settled between the two of you, so easy that it just felt natural. Normally, you'd feel the need to break the silence, but the one now with Izumi felt right, like air. Almost as if it belonged. You would do anything to just be by his side.

"How's your family doing?"

It took a moment for his question to register. When it did, you blinked, clearing your thoughts away. "They're good. Mom's working hard as usual; she's a doctor, so she's always busy. And Dad's a computer technician, so he's doing fine."

"And Jun?"

"He just finished some big college exam. Which would mean he's at home now, on break, and he's probably complaining about how hard it was."

"You know, I faced your brother once, in high jumping."

You remembered. That was when you'd seen Izumi's beautiful technique. "Yes. I was there."

He glanced at you. "Really?" His forehead wrinkled in concentration—he was probably trying to recall your face. But when he couldn't, he dismissed the attempt with an exhale. "He was good. I lost to him."

"Only because you'd hit the pole," you replied defensively. For some reason, you wanted to defend his loss, even when you should have been gushing about having a brother who could high jump well.

The two of you were now on a deserted road with a few houses. There was no paved sidewalk, so you were walking on the side of the street. Your stomach growled impatiently underneath your clothes, and you willed it to be quiet. Soon, you'd arrive at the restaurant. "Hey, Izumi…wasn't there a time you had been removed from high jumping?"

"Yes…" He closed his mouth and you could visibly see him stiffen slightly.

You decided to probe. "Why? What had happened?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he stayed silent, his dark eyes looking out in the road ahead of him.

You got the feeling that he didn't really want to talk about it, so slowly you ventured out from the topic. Even though you were dying to know what had happened. "Look, Izumi, it's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to…"

"No." He cut you off. "You deserve to know." His response flattered you.

"I was with last year's team captain, and we were on our way to get some food at a local joint. We were joking around and having a good time, and we weren't really paying attention to the road. This car was coming towards us. It almost hit the captain, but I pushed him out of the way and dislocated my shoulder. The injury was bad and I wasn't able to high jump for a while."

"Oh…" You were quiet for a moment. That explanation hadn't been _that _bad…well, it would have been horrible if either of them had gotten hit, but they hadn't… "At least the captain wasn't harmed. That's good."

"Yeah, but it was all my fault. He'd wanted to take this one road, but I suggested using the one without any sidewalk. It was a lot quicker to reach our destination if we used it."

Izumi seemed a little remote. You wanted to cheer him up so badly, to hug him and tell him that it hadn't been his fault. But once again, being a guy limited your options. So instead, you stopped walking and turned to face him.

"Izumi, I know you blame yourself, but just know that you had saved him from being hit. I'm sure he's very grateful to you. Please don't blame yourself about the decision. If I had been you, I would've done the same thing…"

Izumi's gaze went over your shoulder and his eyes widened. He reached out and grabbed your wrist, shoving you away. Yujirou's leash fell from your hand.

You hit the gravel, hard, and felt one of the rocks catch at your skin. Blood, wet and sticky, trickled down your cheek. A split second later, Izumi's body was nearly on top of yours', and he grunted with the impact.

You heard the crunch of tires on the gravel roll away, growing distant until you no longer heard them. A few feet away from you, Yujirou barked worriedly. He barked a few times, and then whined.

You lay there, with Izumi on top of you. _God_, you thought, closing your eyes and breathing in his scent. _I want to stay like this…_

Then he slowly rolled off of you. Free once again, you quickly sat up. "Izumi!" you exclaimed. "Are you hurt? Your shoulder…"

"I'm fine," he replied. He placed on hand on his shoulder and rolled it a few times, working out the kinks. "It's okay. I didn't hit it."

"That's good…" You let out a sigh of relief. Yujirou perked up and then loped over to where the two of you were, leaping into your arms. He was so warm and cuddly that you had to smile, petting his fur, letting him know that you were alright.

You knew without even asking the question that a car had almost ran you over. Luckily, Izumi had gotten you out of the way. But it had almost been just like the time with him and his captain… You flicked your eyes in his direction.

He was getting to his feet. There were scratches on his arms and a small gash on his forehead. He was bleeding, too, but he didn't seem to notice. Instead, he walked over to where his schoolbag lay, discarded.

"Izumi?" you called softly.

Your roommate threw the bag onto his shoulder and then extended a hand to you, helping you up. "Come on. Let's go get some food. I'm starving."

Even though your stomach seemed satisfied with his statement, you weren't. You took his hand and got up, and then gripping the dog's leash tightly, you followed Izumi. This time, he stayed a step in front of you, and he didn't slow down. By the time the restaurant came in sight as you turned the corner, you were no longer hungry anymore. And despite his words and forced calmness, you could tell Izumi wasn't hungry either.


	19. Don't Walk Away

You were lying on your bed, reading your Biology report. Well, you weren't really reading it. You were doing that thing where your eyes skipped across the words and you could see them, but they just registered as a blur, without any real meaning.

It was a lazy Sunday morning. You had nothing to do, and so you had decided to go over your report one last time before submitting it tomorrow. It had to be perfect. You needed all the points you could get in Biology.

A soft knock came on the door. Setting your report down, you got up and leaped from the top bunk, landing not-so-gracefully on the ground. One of these days, you told yourself, you were going to injure your foot badly from jumping down. You opened the door.

Nanba stood there, leaning against the doorway. He gave you a slow smile. "Hello, darling. How are you this fine morning?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking." You crossed your hands over the front of your baggy shirt. "Have you ever considered that Izumi could possibly be inside, listening to us as we speak?"

"Well, he isn't, is he?" Nanba stuck his head inside your room and scanned it quickly.

"No, he's not." Izumi was at an old friend's today. He'd warned you about coming back late in the evening. Said that he and the friend had a lot to catch up about. "Luckily."

"Great." That mischievous sparkle came to life in his eyes. "Since the man of the hour isn't around, would you care to join me on a date?"

You gave him a look. "What?"

But Nanba wasn't fazed by your hesitance. If anything, he seemed more encouraged, more determined to make you say yes. "Oh, come on, (Name). You and I haven't gone out on a date in ages. And besides, what harm can a little fun do to a guy?" He then smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Well, technically speaking, you aren't really a _guy,_ if you know what I mean…"

"Minami…this is ridiculous. I can't go on a date with you. It'll blow my cover. Regardless of whether or not Izumi is around."

Nanba narrowed his eyes at you, giving you a sexy look. "If you go on a date with me, I'll do whatever you want."

He said the promise in a whispered groan, and the statement brought up many ideas. It was all you could do to keep from kissing him. Instead, you let out a sigh. "All right, Minami. I'll go on a date with you. But this will be the only exception."

"Tell me, sweetheart. Was it my promise that made you agree? Do you really want me that badly?" he teased.

A blush spread over your cheeks. You ignored him, stepping back to allow him into your room. He closed the door behind him. "You came to me with this idea, so I'm assuming that you have a plan for making us _not _look gay. Two guys on a date isn't exactly what I'd call everyday normal."

"I'm always thinking ahead, (Name). You should know that by now." But he nodded, perching on the edge of Izumi's unmade bed. "You'll wear a hat."

"A hat?" You snorted. "Like that will do anything for me."

"You'd be surprised." Nanba pointed at your outfit. "However, first things first. You need to get dolled up."

He seemed to be enjoying this. You leaned against the door. "I don't know if you've noticed, Minami, but I didn't bring any girl's clothing with me from America. You know, because I'm posing as a boy?"

"I happen to know that you recently got a dress."

Had word of the "prank" gotten around? If so, that wasn't good, and it would be entirely the fault of Sekime, Noe, and Nakatsu. "How'd you…?"

"Jun told me." And that was that.

Of course. Jun and Nanba were pretty good friends—both were smart, both were popular, and both were playboys. Back at home, Jun handled the women well, but here in Japan, Nanba ruled. You rolled your eyes and then went over to your closet, pulling out the folded dress from its' hiding spot at the bottom of your suitcase. You glanced over your shoulder. "Minami, would you mind?"

"Aw, (Name), spoiling my fun." He flopped back onto the mattress and slapped a hand over his eyes.

You looked at him for a moment, and once you were sure that he wasn't peeking, you stepped out of your shorts and pulled off your shirt. Next came the vest. You tugged it off, relief washing over you as your breasts bounced free—but you became quickly horrified when your vest got stuck and wouldn't come off from your head.

"Ah…hey, Minami…"

"Hmm?"

With a sharp yank, the vest came off and you threw it onto the ground. "Never mind." It would have been embarrassing to ask him for help, anyway. You might've known him for a long time, but never once had he seen your breasts. Although he had come close that one time…

Shaking the thoughts from your head, you slipped into the white sundress. It fit you like a second skin, hugging your waist and holding your chest nicely. For the first time in a month or so, you felt like a woman again. That silly feeling came over you, the nervous one that flitted around your stomach. It always came whenever you got ready to go somewhere wearing a pretty outfit. And with a pretty boy as your partner, it only intensified the feeling.

"You look really cute," Nanba said softly. He was standing behind you. You didn't know when he'd gotten off the bed or when he'd glided over to you. You hadn't even heard his footsteps. He held the straps on your one shoulder. "Let me tie it," he offered, knotting it effortlessly into a bow, then working the other shoulder. Closing your eyes, you could feel his fingers gently brushing against your bare skin. The sensation brought goosebumps to your bare arms.

"There." He held your shoulders and turned you around, so that you faced him. There was a sweet smile on his face, and you were struck by the fact of how he looked so much like a little boy receiving a wonderful gift. His smile was so pure and good-natured.

You knew that you didn't look like you once did, with your hair all short like a boy's. And your chest was next to nothing when compared to all the other women Nanba had dated. But just being with him then, wearing the sundress, made you feel beautiful, in a way you only felt when you were with him. "Thank you…"

"And we can't forget the finishing touch." He whisked out a hat from somewhere and presented it to you. It was white and big and floppy, with plastic flowers on the top, and it matched your dress. Smiling, he placed it on your head, and then adjusted it so it wasn't covering your face.

"Are we ready to go, then? It's a good thing the weather is so nice and warm today." Nanba held out his right arm to you.

You slipped your arm into it, tucking your hand in the crook of his elbow. "That would be lovely." You took your arm from his for a moment to whip out a pair of chunky wedge heels and strapped them to your feet. Then you took his arm again. "Okay. Ready."

By the time the sun had started to set, you were glad that you'd gone on this date with Nanba. He was right—it was _exactly _what you needed. You hadn't laughed like this in ages.

It had been a wonderful date. He'd taken you to see a movie, then the two of you grabbed lunch. Afterwards, he took you shopping. Then the park came next, and you spent a load of time there, talking, laughing, just relaxing.

Right now, you were strolling through the main streets. His hand was clasped in yours', the fingers intertwined together. You glanced down at the joined hands.

Nanba gave you a smile. "They say that lovers who hold hands like this are more connected to each other," he said. "In contrast to just plainly holding hands."

"I can believe it." With your fingers tangled with his, you felt like you were a part of him, as crazy as that sounds.

"So, did you have fun?"

"Yes. I actually did." You smiled up at him.

"Didn't I tell you? A little fun won't hurt anyone. And anyway, I just wanted to see you smile. I haven't spent time with you for a while, so I thought…"

He was getting flustered, switching up his explanation. You thought it was cute, seeing the normally unruffled playboy stuttering over his sentences. With your free hand, you reached up and gently touched his lips. "Thank you."

He was surprised for a second. Then he kissed your fingertips. "You're welcome."

A car rolled by, filled with rowdy teenage boys. One stuck his head out of the window and whistled at you. "Hey, babe. Why don't you leave your man and join me?"

You usually didn't get many catcalls. In response, you shook your head but dropped one eyelid in a slow wink. The male grinned, just as the car pulled away.

Nanba chuckled as you continued walking. "Not used to that, are you?" he inquired. "It's just because you look adorable today."

"I'm glad you think so," you replied, fingering the necklace that hung just above the valley of your breasts. It was a gold chain, with a ruby rose on the end. Tiny diamonds sparkled from the rose's petals. Nanba had bought it for you, along with a few other things, packaged safely into shopping bags that he carried on the crook of his other arm. It had cost a lot, and you begged Nanba not to spend his money on it, but he had anyway. You had to admit that you were pleased by the gift.

"I do," he started, but then abruptly stopped.

"Minami?" You glanced up at him. "What's wrong…"

"Up ahead," he said, his voice low. He jutted out his chin in the direction, and you turned your head to look. You froze. It was Izumi!

He'd just stepped out from a car on the curb. Leaning into the window, he said a quick word with the driver, a smile on his face; then he moved back and the car sped off down the street. Standing alone, with a bag slung across his shoulder, Izumi ran his fingers through his hair and then looked around. His eyes met yours' for a second.

Before you could see if he recognized you, Nanba was tugging you back. "Come on," he said, "we've got to get away before he sees you!"

"Too late," you wanted to say. Izumi was staring at you, his brow furrowed in concentration. Nanba pulled you back into a crowd of pedestrians.

"We'll have to make a run for it. Think you're up for the challenge?" He gestured at your wedge heels.

"Luckily I'm good at running in these," you retorted, just as he started running down the street, his hand pulling you after him.

It was sort of like an adventure. You followed Nanba down the street, and then he turned, taking a left into an almost deserted street. Only a few empty cars parked in front of run-down houses vacated the area. You thought it would be the perfect place to hide, but Nanba didn't think so, taking another left at the end.

It was a long street and by the time you reached the curb, it had started to rain, lightly, droplets of water splashing onto your skin. "Damn," Nanba said. "We have to find shelter."

"Why?" you asked, breathless, but he only raised an eyebrow, smiling.

"You're wearing a white dress, remember? With no bra underneath."

"Oh." Already the dress was becoming see-through. "Well, hurry up and find shelter, then, Minami!"

"All right, all right," he said, laughing. He then led you over to the entrance of a building, where the pillars and roof protected you from rain. "This should do it."

You sank down onto the stone steps, panting for breath. You were just about soaked, and through the wet material of the dress your stomach and hips were visible. "Thank God," you said, trying to catch your breath.

Nanba stuck his head out in the rain, looking to the left, then the right. "The coast is clear," he finally announced, coming back into the shelter. "I don't see Sano anywhere."

"I'm sure he didn't follow us." You weren't positive about your statement, but it didn't seem like a thing Izumi would do.

You sat there, sucking down air, and Nanba caught your eye. Then the two of you started laughing.

"That was exciting," he said when he was finally done, sitting down next to you. "I didn't expect to see Sano."

"I didn't, either. He said he'd be late." You were still giggling, and you covered your mouth with one hand, trying to quiet down. Outside, the rain slapped against the pavement, making pitter-patter noises.

"But it was fun," you concluded.

"It was," he agreed. "In all my dating experiences, I've never done that."

He took your hand and helped you to your feet. Then you stood there, your hand in his. The setting sun cast shadows across his handsome face. It was the perfect moment.

He set the shopping bags on the ground, never taking his eyes from you. "(Name), would it be okay if I kissed you?"

"Do you even have to ask, Minami?"

Slipping his arm around your waist, he pulled you to him and captured your lips, kissing you passionately, a kiss so full of desire that it left you breathless when he broke it. Then he held you flush against his body, his hands on your hips.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, resting his chin on the top of your head. "I made a promise that I wouldn't kiss you but I do it anyway."

"It's okay," you replied, pressing your face to his chest. He smelled wonderful and sleepiness washed over you. You could fall asleep in his arms.

"No, it's not…I know I shouldn't kiss you, but…I just can't bring myself to stop…"

Nanba was quiet and he sounded pained as he said the words. You knew that he was hurting, but from what, you didn't know. "Minami, really. It's all right."

"We ought to get back to the dorms." But he didn't step out from the embrace. "It's getting late, and Sano might be back by now. Luckily I happen to know a secret entrance into the dorms."

"How am I going to get to my room?"

"You can shower and change in mine. That way, no risk will be taken. I've got some spare clothing."

You tilted your head up to look at him. His eyes were stormy and dark, his face closed. You couldn't read his expression. "Is everything okay, Minami?" you asked softly. "If something's wrong…"

"It's nothing," he assured, tracing the outline of your lips gently with his finger. When you didn't say anything, he smiled. "Don't worry about me, (Name). It's just that you're my biggest sin."

"When you say it like that," you whispered, your words trailing off. Nanba gently moved you back from his body and then he shrugged off his jacket, handing it to you. "Here. Put this on. It's still raining and if you get anymore soaked, your body will be on display."

"Thank you." You wrapped it around your shoulders. He bent down to pick up the bags and then took your hand. The walk back to the dorms was silent and terse, Nanba uncharacteristically quiet. He let go of your hand right outside the dorm and walked ahead of you, leading the way.

As you stared at his back, his black shirt soaked through, you found yourself breathing the words, "Don't walk away, Minami."

He opened the door and held it out for you. He hadn't heard your soft plea, and you walked past him, unexpected tears forming in your eyes. The darkness of the empty hall hid them.


End file.
